BQ North West Winter 2016 by We Are UMi

BUSINESS QUARTER

North West: Winter 2016

Celebrating and inspiring entrepreneurship

Purple Reign

Talking to the Queen of Vimto about her career in soft drinks

Puppet Master

Peter Saunders on creating characters and building a business

In with the Inn crowd Adam Munday, manager of Innside, Manchester’s trendy new hotel

£4.95

Fred Done, the man behind Betfred talks to BQ

EN T R E P R EN EU R I NT E R V I E W S

B U SIN ESS U P DAT E

Business Quarter Magazine

North West: Winter 2016

Gambling Man

IN SIGHT

LIFES T YLE

E VE NT S

Alexandra Rice, regional director for corporate and commercial banking at Santander, shares an insight into the world of corporate banking What’s it like to manage and lead within a corporate bank? It’s the people I work alongside that make my job so fulfilling; most especially my clients and my team. I run a team of relationship directors (RDs) and relationship managers (RMs) that provides banking to the professional and financial services sector. One of the great joys of working in my world is the volume of client interaction it enables. My team supports businesses that span from mid-sized enterprises right up to large corporates and partnerships where turnover is more than £1 billion. Across that range, I’ve met some of the most inspiring and impressive individuals that I could ever hope to meet. I’ve been doing it for many years but it is still as much of a privilege now as it was on my first ever client visit. Another part of the job that is very fulfilling is managing the team. RDs and RMs must demonstrate a high level of technical skill. They must combine financial analysis with business acumen and strategic insight. All of that must be wrapped into a personable individual who knows how to listen to a client, can understand their needs and then combine that with their technical expertise to create options. To complete the skill set, an RD needs to be able to do all that and distinguish themselves from their competition in a compelling and meaningful way. That’s quite a tall ask for any one individual. Coaching and leading a team that must attain the highest standards in ideally all those areas make it a multi-faceted and highlyfulfilling job to have. I love it.

What are ethics and behaviour like within corporate banking? In my experience, and across three banks, I have found most corporate bankers to be client-focussed, ethical, highlycapable individuals for whom doing the right thing for the client and the organisation, and achieving personal success, have always been inextricably linked.

Yet pre-2008, right across the banking industry, there were some individuals for whom the need to achieve shareholder and, in some cases, personal returns overtook all other considerations. Perhaps the most damning indictment of this action is that it took a worldwide banking crisis for some institutions to address this issue. Perhaps the most seismic change that I’ve seen in the past ten years is the focus now placed from the top down on required behaviours. In Santander, we have adopted a framework of nine behaviours: speak up, truly listen, show respect, keep promises, give support, bring passion, talk straight, embrace change, and actively collaborate. A set of required behaviours is not an end in itself; it must become part of the fabric of how we operate as an organisation. Our performance-rating process has shifted away from what was mostly a set of metrics based on capability to one that still requires that capability but set within the context of a far more holistic and balanced behavioural assessment.

How difficult is it to recruit women and people from different ethnic backgrounds into leadership positions? Corporate banking naturally attracts a lot of highly-driven and capable people. They come from all countries, especially so in London, where it is very common to have several nationalities represented on any given team. What continues to surprise me is just how hard it is to recruit a team representative of the UK business community. The most immediately-noticeable gap is an absence of women, especially at senior levels. One of the things on my to-do list is to go to schools and universities and engage audiences of young women to tempt them into corporate banking. There is absolutely no reason why women should be discouraged from entering the field. The only thing I can think of that might be influencing decision making is perception. Perhaps this is holding back the numbers of non-white entrants as well? Some people think you need to be a trained accountant to be successful. You must be numerate, but analysing financial statements is not as complex as it might first seem. It’s just a different language; once you have learned how to read it, interpreting what the numbers say becomes progressively easier with practice.

Santander has a brand promise that encapsulates that: everything we do must be “simple, personal, and fair”. Those three words provide an instant litmus test for pretty much everything we do. That is our commitment to our clients, and to all employees too. We encourage everyone to hold us all to that brand promise.

How do you nurture and develop people and retain them in an industry with high churn?

What are some of the challenges with performance management in a sales environment?

My ideal RD would possess outstanding technical capability, an exceptionally-high level of sophistication in their appreciation of client management skills, be an outstanding team player and have a proven and consistent ability to develop business within the top decile of the peer group performance spectrum. They do exist, but they are not as common as they should be. One of my top priorities is to ensure my team produces more of these individuals. The best raw material to start with? Those individuals who are blessed with a high level of personal awareness and have learned how to amplify their strengths and find ways to shore up their capability in other areas. Once you find that, the rest is training and application. That said, attracting the talented individuals and knowing how to train them is just the start. Organisational culture matters a lot. To be authentic in my commitment to develop my team and facilitate an environment where they can be successful, I have to know I’m in an organisation where “doing the right thing” really matters.

Perhaps the most difficult decisions I’ve had to make are when I’ve run teams in which the star performer can’t be a team player. If the rest of the team is just “OK”, it’s so tempting to keep that person front and centre rather than risk overall performance by reducing the amount of special treatment they invariably demand. I’ve found indulging “star treatment” is usually a bad idea in the long run. Over dependence on one person can completely skew the way the whole team functions in a negative way. For me to feel happy in my role, I must lead and manage in line with my own code of ethics and principles. That does not allow me to make special exceptions for one individual to the extent that the others in the team feel like second-class citizens. Santander’s nine behaviours provide the cultural reinforcement I need to make the hard decisions. From experience, I have learned that playing the longer game and building the capability of the many, rather than focusing on the few, is always the most fulfilling road to high levels of client satisfaction and overall team success.

BUSINESS UPDATE bqlive.co.uk

EDITOR’S VIEW NOR TH WES T EDITION A very warm welcome to the very first edition of BQ magazine distributed across the North West. I hope you’ll agree that it’s a great addition to the North West media landscape. I’ve worked in this region for many years and know there is always a great story just around the corner. Entrepreneurship, taking business risks and really believing in an idea is part of our DNA and I’m very much looking forward to uncovering some fantastic stories for BQ. Businesses are all about the people behind them and for this edition I’ve been delighted to meet and interview some amazing people. How many times in your life will you come face to face with a real-life Oscar nominated hero like Fantastic Mr Fox? Looking around the Mackinnon & Saunders puppet empire in Altrincham was a real delight. Peter Saunders just loves every minute of his job and is very proud of what the company has achieved from a very modest start. Then to Warrington to interview billionaire Fred Done of the Betfred empire. Another highly successful self-starter, but down to earth and funny with it. He was refreshingly open and honest about his successes, occasional failures, and what still drives him to get up at 5am every morning. And meeting Madame Vimto - Marnie Millard - was another lovely couple of hours in the company of someone with fantastic drive and real passion for her job. She may be the Big Boss but every time she goes in a supermarket she has to check that the Vimto has a good display. I also enjoyed a grand tour around Manchester’s National Graphene Institute and found out why Trafford Council is backing a new Fab Lab in Altrincham which is aimed at helping entrepreneurs and makers bring their ideas to life. And that’s just a taste of what’s inside this edition. Here’s how you can help me find some great stories going forward. If you are an entrepreneur or have a success story you’d like to share with the North West and the rest of the UK, please get in touch. You can be a one man or woman band with a great idea, or a company that has hit upon the perfect recipe for success. Email me at the address below and I’ll do my best to come back to you, find out more and possibly feature you in a future issue, alongside many other great entrepreneurs from across the UK. All the best. Maria, editor, BQ North West maria.mcgeoghan@bqlive.co.uk.

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CONTACT S BUSINESS QUARTER Bryan Hoare Managing director e: bryan@bqlive.co.uk @BQBryanH

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Business Quarter, Spectrum 6, Spectrum Business Park, Seaham, SR7 7TT. www.bqlive.co.uk. Business Quarter (BQ) is a leading national business brand recognised for celebrating and inspiring entrepreneurship. The multi-platform brand currently reaches entrepreneurs and senior business executives across Scotland, the North East and Cumbria, the North West, Yorkshire, the West Midlands and London and the South. BQ has established a UK wide regional approach to business engagement reaching a highly targeted audience of entrepreneurs and senior executives in high growth businesses both in-print, online and through branded events. All contents copyright © 2016 Business Quarter. All rights reserved. While every effort is made to ensure accuracy, no responsibility can be accepted for inaccuracies, howsoever caused. No liability can be accepted for illustrations, photographs, artwork or advertising materials while in transmission or with the publisher or their agents. All content marked ‘Profile’ and ‘Special Feature’ is paid for advertising. All information is correct at time of going to print, November 2016.

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CONTENTS

Winter 16

4 2X X AB FAB FOR O ET O B U SMI N S SR I N G Xyxtrc tytxrc Theresa Grant tellsxyc cytxr cyrxytcr us how Trafford is xtycrthe ycrytxrc creating right xytcr xc for environment entrepreneurs

IN WITH THE INN CROWD Adam Munday talks about running Innside, Manchesterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new hotel

56 A SPECTACUL AR SUCCESS Lunch with independent optician Conor Heaney owner of Jones and Co

14 GAMBLING MAN Profile of the man behind Betfred, Fred Done and his betting empire

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Celebrating and inspir ing entrepreneurship

FEATURES

REGULARS 08

BIG ISSUES James Baker on Manchester’s graphene revolution

BUSINESS UPDATE Business news from around the North West

ALL ABOUT VALUES Joelle Warren on recruiting and retaining the best talent

BUSINESS FOCUS Linda Dean talks to BQ about the impact training can have

BREW WITH A BILLIONAIRE Interview with Fred Done, the man behind Betfred

COMMERCIAL PROPERT Y Who’s building what, where and when in the North West

MEETING MADAME VIMTO Marnie Millard on a national icon and a life in soft drinks

BUSINESS LUNCH Maria McGeoghan tucks in with Conor Heaney of opticians Jones and Co

MODEL BUSINESS Peter Saunders of Mackinnon & Saunders tells us about his puppets and movies

MOTORING Alex Bell from Roland Dransfield takes the Lexus RX450h Premier for a spin

ATOMIC REVOLUTION Interviewing Craig Iley, a founder of challenge bank, Atom

COMEBACK KID Lawrence Kenwright went bust but bounced back to build a new business

FAB IDEA Trafford’s Fab Lab is the ideal home for entrepreneurs

A CUT ABOVE Something special from Hermés Paris

BIG ISSUES bqlive.co.uk

A Manchester Revolution “There are more graphene experts sitting along that wall than there are in some whole countries!” As graphene business director based at Manchester’s impressive National Graphene Institute, James Baker is right at the heart of a revolution, reports BQ editor Maria McGeoghan

BIG ISSUES bqlive.co.uk

The amazing material graphene has become synonymous with Manchester’s drive to be at the forefront of change and innovation. If you’ve ever drawn with a pencil, you’ve probably made graphene. The world’s thinnest material is set to revolutionise almost every part of everyday life. Although scientists knew one atom thick, two-dimensional crystal graphene existed, no-one had worked out how to extract it from graphite. That was until it was isolated in 2004 by two researchers at The University of Manchester, Prof Andre Geim and Prof Kostya Novoselov, who went on to win the Nobel Prize in Physics for their pioneering work. When you look at what graphene can do it is no wonder that it has captured the attention of scientists, researchers and industry worldwide. • It is ultra-light yet immensely tough • It is 200 times stronger than steel, but it is incredibly flexible • It is the thinnest material possible, as well as being transparent • It is a superb conductor and can act as a perfect barrier - not even helium can pass through it And now more than 60 companies from all over the world, including Dyson, Rolls Royce and Siemens, have chosen to partner with The University of Manchester to turn their graphene ideas in to reality. “We look at how we can take graphene and develop it with partnerships and collaboration,” says James Baker. “I want it to be an accelerator. Can we help you make something faster, cheaper and better?” But James is keen to point out that the NGI doesn’t just want to work with the big names in industry. They have just launched a free service open to North West-based SMEs, offering a rapid qualification of an application-related idea from world-leading experts based at the NGI. If you’ve got fewer than 10 employees, annual turnover less than £2m, ideally based in the North West, and have a viable idea for a graphene or 2D material application, the experts are waiting to hear from you. “This is a call to action,” says James. “We need ‘will it do that?’ engagement. We need people to come to us and say: ’I have a problem. Can graphene meet that need?’ “Some people think it is too early, that graphene is too young and that they’ll come back to us in five years time. I say come and see us now! We’ll talk it through with you.”

As we stroll along the corridors of the NGI it feels like a combination of very smart business environment and a futuristic science hub with 1,500m2 of cleanroom space. The black walls have been designed to write on and all around are pockets of people working quietly away on a whole range of projects. Pride of place is Prospero, a small aircraft part-skinned in graphene which is a pioneering research collaboration between the University of Central Lancashire and the NGI. It was the star of this year’s Farnborough Air Show and demonstrated what graphene could do in drag reduction, thermal management and lightning strike protection. “This was very exciting for us” says James. “It was a great way to demonstrate what graphene can do in a real and tangible way.” Just across the road building work is progressing well on the new Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre (GEIC) - the university’s second world-class multi-million pound graphene-focused centre, which will see industry-led development in applications

through partnership with academics. Much has been made of the number of graphene patents active around the world, particularly in Korea and China, with critics saying that the NGI is being left behind in the race to develop graphene. “Don’t count patents,” says James. “If you count patents we are behind, but we are also leading in many areas like membranes, composites and coatings, energy, biomedical, sensors and electronics. “Remember that graphene is only 12 years young. Success for us is Manchester being known as Graphene City - a bit like Silicon Valley. We are a world class university, with great industrial partnerships and we want to work on spin-offs, start-ups and scale ups. “We want to build a thriving ecosystem of skills and knowledge which ensures that graphene and 2D materials development in Manchester, leads the way for British innovation.” n NW SMEs can contact the NGI at grapheneadvice@manchester.ac.uk

BUSINESS UPDATE Giving everybody a chance at university education Manchester Metropolitan University has launched a unique scheme aimed at ensuring the opportunity of a university education is available to as many people as possible. Their ambitious First Generation campaign will identify gifted and talented children from families with no university experience. Targeting Manchester sixth form college students who have excelled in their GCSE examinations, First Generation will help the brightest young people to secure an undergraduate place at university and then, for those who choose Manchester Metropolitan, provide them with continued professional and personal support throughout their studies, to graduation and into employment. Participants will also receive a £1,000 First Generation Scholarship. The goal is to ensure that young people from all socio-economic backgrounds are represented on campus. The first cohort of 50 First Generation students will be selected in March 2017 and granted a free summer school place. They will be supported in completing their university application and mentored. If successful in meeting the requirements of the scheme, they will start their undergraduate degrees in September 2018. It is hoped that the First Generation campaign will raise the funds to support 500 young people

by 2020. First Generation’s success is a personal goal for the Vice-Chancellor Professor Malcolm Press, a First Generation founder donor, and the first member of his own family to attend university. In his first major fundraising initiative as Vice-Chancellor, he is urging financial support from individuals, businesses and groups who have a stake in the future of young people in Greater Manchester. He said: “I firmly believe that universities transform people’s lives. They allow them to discover who they are, to be who they want to be, and achieve their ambitions. “I think it’s very important to encourage people with an ability, at an early age, to be ambitious, to be confident, and to think about how going to university can change their lives,” he says. “First Generation is a really exciting campaign. It’s about getting people who have had no familial experience of university into university. We need more people who can benefit from a university education because it’s good for them, it’s good for society, and it’s good for Manchester.” Every pound raised through First Generation will go directly towards supporting students, with the University covering its own costs. A £10,000 donation will provide funding for five young First Generation students and the campaign has already attracted strong support from individual and corporate donors alike.

Above, Manchester Metropolitan First Generation initiative will give more young people a chance

Another First Generation founder donor is Vanda Murray OBE. As well as serving as ProChancellor and Chair of the Board of Governors at Manchester Metropolitan University, she holds a portfolio of Non-Executive Directorships and is a member of the Manchester Growth Company board. She said: “I was the first person to go to university in my family and though I knew it was an important step for me, I underestimated how much higher education would transform my life. My career has opened up new worlds and new experiences for me – opportunities I would never have had were it not for the education, work experience and belief in lifetime learning, which I obtained during my degree. “The First Generation programme will reach out to young people at a critical point in their lives, raising their ambitions and encouraging and supporting them to fulfil their potential. It is a hugely important initiative and will be life-changing for so many young people. I am immensely proud to be a First Generation campaign founder donor.”

Over 12,000 visitors attend UK’s largest Muslim lifestyle expo A record-breaking number of visitors have taken part in the UK’s biggest-ever showcase of the trillion dollar Muslim consumer market. Over 12,000 people from across the country attended the 2nd annual Muslim Lifestyle Expo

BUSINESS UPDATE www.bqlive.co.uk/bq-breakfast

2016 (MLE2016) which took place at EventCity greeting cards, luxury prayer mats, Islamic Lifestyle Expo has been created to provide a in Manchester. Alongside a modest fashion toys, food, fashion, accessories and cosmetics. unique marketing platform for global brands show, comedy acts, and a live cooking theatre, Thought leaders like CEO of Alchemiya, Navid and businesses to engage with the Muslim the two-day event saw over 130 exhibitors from Akhtar, FTSE 100 mentor, Moe Nawaz, and consumer. Earlier this year, Muslim Lifestyle Expo 20 countries including brands such as Asda, established entrepreneurs, highlighted the won the Services in Creativity and Technology Turkish Airlines and Brunei Halal promote growth of the Muslim lifestyle markets award at The British Muslim Awards 2016. their products and services. Over by sharing business insights and For further information about the 2017 event six in 10 exhibitors taking advice at the MLE Connect email: info@muslimlifestyleexpo.co.uk or visit part were Muslim female seminars. The Muslim www.muslimlifestyleexpo.co.uk entrepreneurs from across the country. Tahir Mirza, founder of MLE, said: “Our Jaguar Land Rover has reported its Call centre service specialist CALLCARE is due to double its workforce to vision has always been best ever July retail sales of 44,486 200 staff over the next few months. It follows changes in compliance and to create a commercial vehicles – up 34% from last year. It regulations in a number of sectors such as legal, finance, and HR and personnel platform that highlights sold 336,052 vehicles in the first – all of which are served by CALLCARE. the growing Muslim lifestyle seven months of 2016, CALLCARE, which is investing £500,000 into the recruitment drive for its sectors and we are delighted up 23% Manchester operations centre, provides 24/7, outsourced call handling facilities to a to have delivered this again wide range of industries including financial services, healthcare, legal, construction, hospitality through MLE2016. The expo serves to and the public sector. The firm has experienced increased interest from several sectors following highlight the immense contribution the Muslim a surge in the number of businesses who need to ensure that they remain compliant with their community makes to the global economy. regulatory bodies and maintain the highest standards of customer service. CALLCARE has already “It is our third MLE event in the space of 14 seen a sharp rise in turnover from £3m to £7m in the last three years. With over 56,000 firms months which is now the biggest showcase now regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), CALLCARE attributes its recent demand of the rapidly expanding global Muslim to a sharp rise in the number of new regulatory procedures being implemented particularly in this lifestyle sector and is becoming a firm fixture sector. This has led to an increased need for CALLCARE’s services to help firms meet independent in the calendar. MLE is a great platform for bodies’ regulations, including the FCA and Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). David Bate, entrepreneurs and start-ups and it gives them managing director at CALLCARE, said: “Professional services firms in all sectors are under the confidence to flourish. The high number of increasing pressure to adhere to tightened regulation and compliance, which are continuing Muslim businesswomen is a great example of to serve the best interests of consumers. CALLCARE has seen more firms wanting to not only this highlighted by our packed ‘mumpreneurs’ maintain, but excel in their audit procedures, in which we have tried and tested expertise. panel discussion. “Small to mid-sized law firms are finding it increasingly difficult to remain fully compliant with The Muslim consumer market is now one of the the business continuity elements of the SRA’s code of conduct. This provides another opportunity biggest in the world growing at nearly double for us to offer over 100,000 firms a layer of reassurance, while also supporting them to the rate of the global economy. According safeguard clients, and potentially generate more revenue. We have also seen a significant rise in to a report by Thomson Reuters, the Muslim the number of financial services firms looking to ensure they’re compliant with their customer consumer spending on food and lifestyle contact programme strategies. And, with financial service based services contributing over £65bn products and services has been estimated to our economy, it’s vital they get this right.” CALLCARE is looking therefore for employees to at US$1.8 trillion in 2014 and projected to assist with the delivery of answering services across varying functions. The company has noticed reach US$2.6 trillion in 2020. Highlights from a shift in the demographic interested in contact centre careers, due in part to those losing jobs this year’s Muslim Lifestyle Expo, included six as a result of economic uncertainty and is keen to hear from those searching for more viable and fashion shows from leading modest fashion secure roles. Bate added: “As businesses’ needs have become more complex, call centres have brands, a dedicated health zone, an Islamic art had to evolve and are no longer simply just for cold calling or message taking. The industry has gallery, a live food demo theatre featuring Great matured and, as such, so have our recruitment needs. We work within a framework as opposed British Bake Off’s Ali Imdad, comedy by British to following scripts, so we need bright and intuitive staff who are able to take on challenging Muslim comedians like Aatif Nawaz and BBC calls, fact find and act as an extension of our clients’ teams.” Three’s Guzzy Bear. Exhibitors included Turkish For job opportunities, visit www.callcare247.com/careers. Airlines, ASDA, Al Rayan Bank, RAF, Lancashire County Cricket Club, Haloodies, Manchester Art Galleries, Abaci, Modestly Active and Human Appeal. Exhibitors came from around 20 countries including USA, Qatar, Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Russia, Turkey, France, Austria, Germany and UAE. Products on display ranged from mocktails,

FACT OF THE QUARTER

Expansion for manchester-based call centre

“As businesses’ needs have become more complex, call centres have had to evolve and are no longer simply just for cold calling or message taking”

AS I SEE IT bqlive.co.uk

It’s all about values Recruiting and retaining talent: how to get it right (nearly) every time, according to Joëlle Warren MBE DL., founding director, Warren Partners, one of the UK’s leading executive search firms None of us is immune to the anxiety which comes with bringing new talent into our organisations. When we get it right the positive effects can be immediate, the impact energising and good feeling palpable. When we get it wrong it’s like going for a long walk in ill-fitting shoes. Uncomfortable, frustrating and likely to do some damage. Even the most successful leaders and professional recruiters can remember a time when they’ve been kept awake by that nagging concern that just won’t be silenced… You’ve found what looks to be the perfect hire and it all seems so right, on paper and intellectually. All bases appear to have been covered capabilities and fit assessed, references taken and colleagues consulted. You’re delighted, excited but for some inexplicable reason, disproportionately nervous. The head rules the heart and the paperwork is signed. After much fanfare your new appointee gets started and all seems well… Two weeks in and your anxiety has not been allayed, four weeks in and your worst fears are being realised. Can you really have got it so wrong? After all the time and effort you committed to the recruitment process could you really still have made a terrible mistake? Very often you will try to convince yourself otherwise, you might agree some coaching input, you give feedback and you try and try to

make it work. Depending on your nature, the time invested in trying to make it work will vary but in the majority of instances the outcome will be the same. It doesn’t work! The reason it doesn’t is because you have indeed made a mistake and the consequences for the person concerned, your organisation and your psyche are considerable. So what went wrong? If you have followed a robust process the mistake you’ve made has nothing to do with the experience or competence of the candidate. It is simply that you asked the wrong questions, if you ask the wrong questions, you’ll get the wrong answers. And the right questions are? Well the reality is that much of what you have assessed will have been important but it’s likely that what you’ve overlooked is to incorporate values in your assessment. Think of values as your organisation’s blood type. If a patient’s ‘pre op’ questionnaire asks a hundred questions but fails to clarify blood type, the outlook could be grim. It’s the reason why studies have shown that external recruits are up to twice as likely to fail in a role as those appointed internally. Of course if it were so simple we’d always promote from within but then we would miss out on the new perspectives, fresh thinking and energising shot in the arm that external talent can bring. Get values aligned and the future is bright - all these benefits of an external hire with alignment

to the values that make your organisation unique. Evidence shows that a team with shared values can tackle the greatest challenges and triumph, so it will only be a matter of time before your new hire is welcomed with open arms and hailed as a great success. In fact, you’ll not only attract the right people to join you but it will help you to retain your existing talent. . Sounds simple? But to do this you must first start with understanding the values of your organisation. This is not as simple as trotting out the words you’ve (hopefully) put on your website and issued to your team on handy credit card sized plastic to fit in their wallet. You know, the ones you struggle to remember without the help of a mnemonic. It’s deeper than that, an all-encompassing ‘what matters to us and how we do things round here’. It links the words on the website to actual behaviours and the culture of the organisation. So it’s not just what you believe but what you do as a result. If you consider the costs, both financially and emotionally of making the wrong hire, it’s worth taking the time to break down each of your values into three or four things you’ll see people doing if they’re exhibiting the value and importantly what they may do if they are not. Understand what both look like and assess against this. You can only asses the values ‘fit’ of the candidate if you truly understand the values of your organisation.

AS I SEE IT bqlive.co.uk

There’s no point jumping from all this work defining your values and what they mean in practice straight to recruiting to them though. You need first to ensure that they’re embedded within your organisation, at every level: that managers manage to the values; that leaders lead to the values; that they are discussed as part of your appraisal processes and that you regularly ‘temperature check’ that you’re consistently living the values within the organisation. Former energy giant, Enron had a beautifully defined value of integrity: ‘Working with customers and prospects openly, honestly and sincerely. When we say we will do something, we will do it; when we say we cannot or will not do something, then we won’t do it.’ The behaviours that claimed to underpin this were ‘being clear about commitments made, ensuring promises are well understood by whoever they’re made to; not lying, stretching the truth, or withholding information from a peer, customer, or stakeholder; informing all those impacted immediately if a commitment cannot be kept’. History has shown that there must have been a considerable disconnect between the aspiration and the reality of the behaviours at play in their origination. . For you though, once you are clear about your organisational values, what they look like in practice and they’re embedded within the way you work, you’re ready to make them the critical key to successful recruitment. In practice that means incorporating your values into everything from job adverts to role descriptions, from shortlisting criteria to interview questions and reference taking. What it doesn’t mean is jettisoning all that good practice of assessing competency based knowledge and skills. It’s not ‘either/or’ but

“Define your values and recruit, induct, manage and lead to those and you’ll find you can recruit and retain the right people”

‘both/and’. You’re looking for candidates to demonstrate both values and technical skills and competence. So you’ll still be using those ‘give me an example of a situation when…’ questions, you’ll be ensuring the skills and abilities to perform in the role (e.g. digital, marketing, financial or leadership skills) but you’ll be also asking plenty of evidence based questions about behaviours. You’ll be seeking to understand the candidate’s personality in action. You’ll be establishing if they will thrive within your organisation. These are questions about how they influence, their approach to collaboration, their attitude to risk, to customers and their integrity. Then comes the tricky part: evaluating and assessing what they say. This will be much easier now that you’ve done the up-front work and defined not just your values but what behaviours lie behind these. So using our Enron-defined behaviours around integrity, we’d be seeking evidence of truth telling, keeping commitments, clarity and openness of communication… A final word of caution. If you subscribe to the definition of personal values being a set of enduring beliefs which a person holds about what is right and wrong, what is good or undesirable, which dictate how they behave, then these tend to change very little over time. Organisational values however can change and sometimes should, as the organisation finds that the culture which has served it well in the past is no longer appropriate for where it wants

to be in the future. Many of our clients have over recent years recognised the benefits of greater diversity within their teams and have had to revisit their values, which in some cases were almost working against diversity as leaders recruited in their own image and unconscious bias crept in. It’s just another example of the problem we started with: if you ask the wrong question you get the wrong answer. But define your values and recruit, induct, manage and lead to those and you’ll find you can recruit and retain the right people, who will perform better and be happier at work – happy employees, happy customers, better bottom line.” n

ENTREPRENEUR bqlive.co.uk

A brew with a billionaire Fred Done built the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest independent bookies. He tells Maria McGeoghan how he did it

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How does a billionaire order a pot of tea? Seated in his very posh office full of wood and leather Fred Done - the man behind Betfred - stamps on the floor three times as if waiting for a genie to appear. She does - bearing a tray of builders’ brew with milk no sugar. “Oh, that’s how I communicate,” says Fred, waving away my look of puzzlement. Looking nothing like his 73 years, Fred spends the next hour telling me how he made his fortune, why he’s never read a contract in his life, why he gets up at 5am and how signing a cheque for £1m to settle a football bet was all in a day’s work. Along the way he’s full of advice, “If you don’t enjoy your work don’t do it. Life’s too short,” and some very funny moments. “You’re just like Columbo - just one more thing,” he says when I squeak in one last question aware that time has run over and there’s a queue of people waiting outside his office. I should have realised this was going to be a very different sort of interview when I arrived at the Betfred HQ in Warrington and the two women running the reception desk beckoned me over to look at a picture of a colleague’s baby scan. The mum to be had just returned from a hospital appointment and wanted to tell the world her good news. It’s a million miles away from the many hushed and austere reception areas I’ve sat in over the years waiting to be summoned to The Boss. On the landing up to the first floor is an impressive wooden statue of a horse - what else would it be? - and then he shakes hands and shows me in to his office. So where did it all begin? “I hated school,” says Fred. “I was no good at anything. I was wasting my time.” He had early dreams of becoming a draughtsman for an engineering company, but soon realised that wasn’t for him. “I was the worst draughtsman ever made.” His Dad Fred had been an illegal bookmaker during the war and made a good living so at the tender age of fifteen and a half he followed in his footsteps. “After a while I started to love it. I knew how to treat people. It’s all about service and value. I’d call the dustman Sir.“

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“After a while I started to love it. I knew how to treat people. It’s all about service and value. I’d call the dustman Sir “

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“I’m completely useless at home. I have trouble opening a bottle of milk. The only thing I’ve ever been any good at making is money“

At 21 he was running an office taking telephone bets and had 15 men under his wing, and at 24 he set up his own betting shop in Pendleton. “It was the 4th of September 1967. I can remember that but I can’t remember when I got married,” he says with a grin. “There was me, my brother Peter, my Dad Fred and my wife Mo who was cashier and cleaner. “I had no hard plan or budgets. We were just making a living. We made slow progress in the early days. Over 10 years we opened 30 shops. I should have been more aggressive earlier on.” Sixteen shops in the North East followed and then he bought a further 40 shops in a £10m deal. “By then I had the confidence to do deals. We looked for greenfield sites or set up opposite the competition. Ladbrokes, Hills and Corals. I knew I had to be different. I suppose I was the Aldi or Lidl of betting at the time. I undercut everything and that’s why I got the moniker The Bonus King. “We’ve now got over 1,370 shops, employ 10,000 people, we’re the world’s biggest independent bookmakers and 100% owned by the family. “ And Betfred recently announced it is shelling out £55m for a further 322 shops from Ladbrokes and Gala Coral to allow a pending merger between the two rivals to conclude. According to the Sunday Times Rich List the whole Done empire - owned by Fred and his brother Peter - is worth £1.3bn and includes sports promotion and property. In all of that success what was the best decision you have ever made? “I started a development department and at our peak we were opening 80 shops a year. I loved being part of that team. We looked at pubs, at bus stops and shops before we decided where to open a shop. You have to give people what they want.” And the worst? “Hmmm. I suppose I’ve made some rash decisions but they’ve come off more than they haven’t. “

For Fred a typical day starts at 5am when he gets up to put his two cats out and puts the kettle on. “They must hate me for getting up that early!” All the numbers for all his businesses are loaded on to his computer by 4.15 am so he brings his wife a cup of tea first and then goes through them all. “I accept bad days as well as good. “I’m completely useless at home. I have trouble opening a bottle of milk. The only thing I’ve ever been any good at making is money. “ Four or five days a week a personal trainer takes him through exercises, including yoga, and he leaves for work before 8am. Says Fred: “I thought yoga was for cissies but I really enjoy it.“ Holidays centre around his house in Majorca and the Mandarin Oriental in Bangkok, where he has his own butler. “I think it’s the best hotel in the world,” says Fred. “I take business calls between 4 and 6pm when I’m there on holiday. “I work five and a half days a week including Saturday morning and I never switch off my mobile. “People ask when are you going to pack it in and take it easy but I love this business. I still enjoy working. “I’ve never read a contract in my life. I’ve got very good people around me who do that.“ Our conversation turns to his brother Peter. “I don’t want this to be just about me. My brother Peter has been running Peninsula for 30 years and he started out with one man and a dog. They now work with 35,000 companies in the UK offering HR, employment law and health and safety services. All credit to him.” So what keeps you awake at night? “Certainly not business. If anyone in the family was ill that would keep me awake.” Fred and his family are well known for being generous to many charities but on this subject he is not forthcoming.

“I don’t want to talk about that. That’s a private thing.“ Does he still have a flutter? “No. I don’t bet any more. The biggest bet I lost was on United finishing above Chelsea in the Premiership. I signed a cheque for £1m.“ ‘Didn’t that break your heart?’ I ask. He shrugs and grins. On the wider subject of responsible gambling he adds: “Betting has been legal in the UK since 1961. We have a triennial review looking at our operation. On every £8 I make, £7 of it goes on taxes and levies. We give the customer a good service. You know where you are with us. It’s

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not perfect but we do the best we can with it.” And how will Brexit affect the business? “I saw Brexit as an opportunity but I didn’t think we would vote to leave. We lost half a million on the Brexit vote. We’ve now got to play with the cards we’ve got.” And as one of the UK’s top businessmen what advice would you give to anyone starting up a business? “If you fail, start again. If you fail, start again. If you fail, start again. There is no disgrace in failure. Know your stuff. Do your due diligence. And have money in the bank for when it hits the fan.“ n

Backing winners Fred is also well known for spotting and encouraging talent and investing in businesses he believes in. ActiveWin is a digital marketing company and Fred supports boss Warren Jacobs. “It’s been a big success. “ Salboy Ltd. is a privately owned equity investment company which provides funding for experienced property developers and investors. “It’s about backing people. No deal hasn’t been successful. If they’ve got talent, skill and they work hard, I want to talk to them.” Degree 53 was founded in 2013 after the members of Betfred’s Mobile Development division decided to set up their own agency. It’s a 45 strong team based in Manchester, UK. “Andy Daniels runs it and he’s very creative and clever.” Fideliti, which provides child care vouchers is run by Jo Dale, former Betfred IT manager. “It’s a good business.”

SUCCESS STORY bqlive.co.uk

As CEO of Nichols Plc, the company that makes Vimto, Marnie Millard fizzes with enthusiasm almost as much as the product she produces

Meeting Madame Vimto She may be the Big Boss but she still gets a little moment of delight when she sees someone buy the family favourite. “I sometimes go and tell them what I do,” says Marnie who has been CEO of Nichols, makers of soft drink Vimto, since 2013. “I drive my husband mad because whenever I walk in to a supermarket I start asking ‘Where’s the Vimto? Where’s the Vimto?’ “The other day I was on a delayed train that had come to stop when I saw a bottle by the side of the track. It was litter - which was bad - but I still thought ‘we made that!’ I love my job.” Nichols, headquartered in Newton Le Willows - half way between Manchester and Liverpool - has had a very good year. In the year to 31 December the company saw pre-tax profits jump by 8.9% to £28m.Total revenues stood at £109.3m, with UK sales totalling £84.8m, and international sales rising by 3.9%. Invented by Noel Nichols in 1908 as a ‘Vim tonic,’ the exact recipe for Vimto is known to only five people in the world but includes a mix of three fruit juices — grape, blackcurrant and raspberry — along with a mysterious blend of 23 fruit essences, herbs and spices. “I don’t know the recipe!” says Marnie with a laugh. “I thought about having a safe on the wall in

reception here with ‘Secret Recipe’ written on it — but maybe that’s not a good idea.” Her glass-walled office looks out on her team and along one wall are shelves stacked with all the different Vimto products, and a beautiful glass trophy for being named as one of the UK’s most inspiring women. Cheerful and down to earth, Marnie was born and brought up in Peterborough, and is both a mum and grandmother. Her hairdresser mum and mechanical engineer dad still live in the same house she was brought up in. “They taught me very important values like working hard and always being truthful and honest,” says Marnie. Describing herself as ‘never the brightest’ she loved school and was ‘gobsmacked’ when her peers voted for her to be head girl. “I really couldn’t fathom out why they had chosen me.” She did ‘OK’ in her O and A levels but opted not to go to university. “I was neither really bright or really rich so I didn’t go to university and started work in customer service at a computer supply company. “I’ll always remember that the marketing director looked liked Liza Minnelli. She was always really well dressed and had bright red lipstick and bright red

“I drive my husband mad because whenever I walk in to a supermarket I start asking ‘Where’s the Vimto? Where’s the Vimto?’”

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“I always say your brain is a muscle. All the people that I meet, the travel, the experiences with people, they all help build your confidence” shoes. She was passionate about marketing and I thought I’d like to do that.” Marnie went to night school two nights a week for three years passing her certificate and then diploma in marketing. Different roles followed and after taking time out to have two children she realised that the world of work was moving on fast and it was time to get back to the fray. Even though it was a long way from where she lived in Yorkshire she went for an interview as a national account executive at Macaw soft drinks in Nelson. “I was late - I hate being late - but the receptionist put me at such ease. When I walked out I thought ‘I really want to work here. How can I make it work?’.” The family sold their house and moved to Huddersfield the week before Christmas. “I look back on it now and think that was a bit bonkers — but it was the right thing to do.” Macaw created own brand drinks for many of the major supermarkets and over the next five years she learned the trade inside out and became very good at it. “I suppose I was the face of Macaw. I loved going out to meet customers and doing deals.” Her ‘career defining’ moment came when she saw candidates for marketing director arriving for interview and plucked up the courage to ask the boss why she hadn’t been considered for the role. She was tried out on a 6 month basis and stayed in the role for 11 years. “It had never crossed their minds that I wanted

such a big role with a young family,” says Marnie. “I look back at that and think it took a lot of courage to ask. It’s something I’ve tried to instil in my kids. Courage above all. “I always say your brain is a muscle. All the people that I meet, the travel, the experiences with people, they all help build your confidence.” Roles at Refresco International and Gerber Soft Drinks followed — and she joined Nichols as MD in 2012, moving up to CEO the following year. I was really excited about how I could make a difference here. The potential for growth is still quite huge. “I enjoy the people side, I get energy from other people.” She restructured the management team and describes them all as having settled in ‘brilliantly’ with a clear focus on the task ahead and sights set firmly on growth. International sales are rising and Vimto’s two core export markets - Africa and the Middle East - are both performing well with very different sales propositions. “In Africa it’s all about refreshment and enjoyment and I’m humbled that people spend their money on a can of Vimto after a hard day’s work. “I went to see the team at a bottling plant in Senegal and they called me Madame Vimto!” The company’s partnership with the Middle East goes back 90 years where

they sell a double strength product compared to the UK version. She gets a bottle from her office shelf which has Marnie spelled out in tiny crystals — part of a personalisation promotion in Dubai which reached more than seven million people on social media. 35 million bottles of Vimto are sold in the Middle East each year, with a substantial sales spike during the holy month of Ramadan. “It’s a very important relationship for us,” says Marnie. “Vimto is the drink of choice during Ramadan and the special time when families come together.” And as a high profile, very successful woman what is her advice to women on how to succeed in business? “Always have self belief and courage in your capabilities. I absolutely believe in getting the right person for the job but sometimes female talent needs nurturing more. Often that self belief just isn’t there. “ And always be true to yourself.” n

Tackling the sugar issue

The thorny issue of sugar and its contribution to obesity, particularly in ch ildren, is a key one for th e drinks industry. Nichols has been working hard to reduce the amount of su gar in its products. Since 2012 they have reduced the suga r content of their product portfolio by 1,1 18 tonnes. And total sugar usage is droppin g by 8% year on year. No Added Suga r products in th eir sq uash range now account fo r 46% of all purch ases, and 41% of their Vimto sti ll range in the UK . “We take our responsibility to wards the issue of ob esity and sugar consumption ve ry seriously,” sa ys Marnie. “Our marketing strategy has rev olved around promoting No Ad ded Sugar choic es in order to achieve our aim s of overall suga r reduction across our range of prod ucts.”

BUSINESS FOCUS Special Feature

One of the best things I’ve done is buying this building outright – although it was against my accountant’s advice!”

Copy my success Janet Bowden started her business at home but now occupies smart offices and is online to make £5m sales Janet Bowden often recalls the times when she used to drive a van up and down the country, repossessing photocopiers... Today, her journey to work is made in the sort of car most people could only dream of – to the landmark four-storey building where she now employs a team of 19 herself. But the photocopiers are still very much in evidence. In fact, without them Woodbank Office Solutions wouldn’t exist… “I realised all those years ago that there was good money in photocopiers,” says Janet. “There I was, only seven stone and five foot

two, driving around in my van collecting them from businesses. Everyone was so nice and polite to me, even though I was taking their photocopier away!” The experience proved to be Janet’s ‘light-bulb moment’, and – armed with only a handful of contracts and a full-page advert in Yellow Pages – she founded Woodbank Office Solutions from her home in Stockport. Today, 27 years on, her company is one of the UK’s largest suppliers of Konica Minolta and Kyocera digital, multi-functional photocopiers and network printers.

Woodbank has been named amongst Goldman Sachs’ top 10,000 small businesses. And business is growing, with the firm on track to achieve £3m turnover this year, building up to £5m next year. As the only female in the photocopier dealer industry, Janet is straight-taking – but she also knows that one of the keys to success has been her willingness to learn. “I’ve still got clients that I signed on 25 years ago. This business is all about people. Get the people right and everything else will fall into place. People buy from people and if you are

BUSINESS FOCUS Special Feature

fair, people will be fair back to you.” Woodbank’s story really goes back to Janet’s days at Rothschild’s Bank in Manchester, where she was first an account manager and then an underwriter finding funding for businesses wanting to buy photocopiers. Before that, she studied for a City & Guilds in Catering, but realised it wasn’t the life for her. “I learned how to cook, but didn’t really like it,” she admits. “I worked at the bank until I had my son, and that was when they asked me to work from home, repossessing photocopiers…” Founding Woodbank, Janet’s business model was to provide an expert service for the business communities around Greater Manchester,

Stockport, and North West. Starting originally from her suburban home, the business then moved to offices in the iconic Strawberry recording studios in Stockport, and by 2003 transferred to their smart Churchgate address in the centre of town. “One of the best things I’ve done is buying this building outright – although it was against my accountant’s advice!” says Janet. “He said it was too big and expensive, but I knew it was right for us. It’s already doubled in value. We’ve got a beautiful showroom and people buy from here. It’s been great for us.” Whether it’s providing a single desk printer, or creating a whole print infrastructure, Woodbank prides itself on not just meeting, but exceeding its customers’ needs. The company is proud to have helped thousands of customers over a whole range of printing sectors, including legal, financial services, education, healthcare, government and charities, and undertakes everything, from simple print management cases to complex corporate printing fleet services. “We have the same approach to all our clients,” says Janet. “We’re a business underpinned by our core values: care, trust, enjoyment and enthusiasm. “I believe we are the best. Why? Because we listen to our customers’ needs and it’s a long-term business relationship. Our high customer retention must mean that we’re doing something right. “For me, integrity means being a fully honest broker, doing what you say you will, staying out of questionable situations and meticulously managing expectations. There’s just no room for grey areas for any excellent, long-term business venture.” Janet and her team at Woodbank have won many awards and industry accreditations over the years, including The Institute of Directors distinction and numerous Konica Minolta Industry supplier awards. Looking to the future, Woodbank’s plans include opening a larger branch with showroom in Liverpool, a new office in Leeds and more growth. And what advice would Janet give to anyone starting up their own business? “I’ve learned not to be frightened about employing people who are better than you.

“I’ve learned not to be frightened about employing people who are better than you. Employ the best people you can afford. If you can dream it - you can do it.” Employ the best people you can afford. “If you can dream it – you can do it. I have taken so many chances, but if I hadn’t done that, I wouldn’t be where I am today. The things that you regret most in life are the risks you didn’t take.” Finally, for anyone believing that the days of photocopiers are numbered, Janet has the last word: “We make our living every time someone pushes a button on a printer. You can read something better by printing and holding it. More copies are being done today than ever before. I can’t see demand diminishing – certainly not in my lifetime...” n

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A model business Peter Saunders is one half of Mackinnon & Saunders which is now one of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading companies in character development and stop-motion puppet making as Maria McGeoghan reports

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It’s an unusual setting for a piece of Hollywood glamour. An unassuming office and group of outbuildings in a leafy lane in Altrincham is home to some of the most famous puppets in the world. As you walk in the entrance you are met with the striking figures from cult sci-fi spoof Mars Attacks! and in the cosy boardroom I meet Victor and Emily from the Tim B urton classic The Corpse Bride. Bob the Builder, Postman Pat and the one, the only, Fantastic Mr Fox all look out from their glass cases just waiting to be picked up and admired. Peter Saunders is one half of Mackinnon & Saunders which is now one of the world’s leading companies in character development and stop-motion puppet making. They have worked on productions such as BAFTA-winner The Reluctant Dragon and Emmy Award-winner The Fool of the World as well as receiving a clutch of Oscar nominations for Hollywood films. “We have lurched between the pastel shades of pre-school television to the black and burnt umber of gothic revival hollywood feature films. And we are delighted to have done so. We love it,” says Peter.

And you can tell that he genuinely does. As he reverently takes Mr Fox out of his case for me to have a closer look, and rummages through some of the original Tim Burton sketches for The Corpse Bride, he is obviously proud of their fantastic body of work. We walk though his puppet kingdom where a team of people are working on everything from creating the metal frameworks that support the puppets to crafting tiny, yet beautifully made outfits for them to wear. In the sculpture room two masters of their art are creating magnificent figures from a cream coloured plasticine-like substance surrounded by shelf upon shelf of famous faces and creatures. It’s a wonderland of quiet and friendly creativity. So how did it all start?” “I started making models, toys and puppets

when I was around five, says Peter, who set up Mackinnon & Saunders with his business partner Ian Mackinnon in 1992. “I grew up in Rochdale with a Yorkshire Dad and a Cambridgeshire mum. “I made puppets out of anything I could get my hands on. My parents were very understanding until they tried to plug something in and the plug had gone because I wanted to use the pieces. I hated school. I always think it’s sad when people say they are the best years of their lives. There’s so much more out there.” He knew early on that he wasn’t destined for the professions like medicine, teaching and law encouraged by his school and opted for art school instead. “I had a misspent youth!” says Peter with a grin. “ I didn’t apply myself to academic studies but

“We have lurched between the pastel shades of pre-school television to the black and burnt umber of gothic revival hollywood feature films. And we are delighted to have done so. We love it,”

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“I’d say to anyone setting up their own business that they need to be patient. Success loved model making so I went to Art College - West Surrey College of Art and Design to be precise - where I did a diploma in animation. “It was wonderful. It felt like I had come home. It was delightful, I never wanted to leave.” In 1977 Brian Cosgrove of Cosgrove Hall Films was recruiting animators for a film called The Talking Parcel and came to the college’s diploma show. “He didn’t find any animators for the project but by chance saw some of my puppets and offered me six weeks’ work to finish off some puppets,” says Peter. “I was paid £30 a week out of petty cash. When I got there, there was a bit of confusion because

Brian was on holiday and had forgotten to tell anyone I was coming. “It wasn’t the most auspicious start to my animating career but I stayed for 15 years.” While at Cosgrove Hall Peter worked on childhood favourites like Chorlton and the Wheelies, the Reluctant Dragon and the Wind in the Willows - working his way up to be head of the puppet workshop. Along the way he worked with animator Ian Mackinnon, who was working on an animated film called The Sandman with colleagues Paul Berry and Colin Batty, which went on to be nominated for an Oscar and is now part of the curriculum if you study animation.

Just in case you’re off to Google it - be warned. It’s a truly terrifying work of art so don’t let your young kids watch it before bedtime. They’ll be too scared to sleep. Then in 1992 Cosgrove Hall closed down and he decided to set up Mackinnon & Saunders with Ian Mackinnon. “My wife had just announced that we were expecting our first child so it wasn’t the best of times. I felt a bit out on a limb and we had another mouth to feed. Cosgrove Hall was a delightful place to work. I’d still be there now. They were great bosses to work for. They loved their staff, had no egos, were very supportive and they wanted to do their best.

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doesn’t come overnight and it shouldn’t really. And don’t try and take on too much debt.” “It was like an extension of art college but you got paid. Our new company was about making puppets for stop motion animation which was very specialist. We were a one trick pony. “I’m incredibly lucky to be in business with Ian. He’s a renaissance man. He excels at everything he turns his hand to including running a business. We work hard and have a dedicated team of 82 at the moment. “We respect everyone we work with here. I’ve got great admiration for them all. “I’d say to anyone setting up their own business that they need to be patient. Success doesn’t come overnight and it shouldn’t really. And don’t try and take on too much debt.”

Their big break came one Tuesday evening in March 1995 when he got a call from Laurie Parker who was Tim Burton’s producer on Mars Attacks! - a film that was a homage to 1950s science fiction. “For the first five minutes I thought it was a wind-up and that someone in the office was pretending to be her. I had to apologise later for my indifference. It was a total shock and a relief. We had a few beers that night.” Ten days later they were flown to New York, put up in a plush hotel and met Tim Burton at the Carlisle hotel. “Tim had just done the Michael Keaton Batman movie so everyone knew him but he had no airs

and graces or entourage. He’s lovely. Successful companies have a lucky event that helps them get off the ground. This was our lucky event.” Within four weeks Mackinnon & Saunders had set up a design workshop in Hollywood. “The team were put up in Gore Vidal’s old house and from the back you could see the Hollywood sign. We were right in the heart of the film industry and it was crazy and lovely. And a long way from Rochdale.” Peter oversaw the creation of the puppets and when they were ready they were packaged up very carefully and flown from LA to Manchester on their own plane seat - even though they were only 12 inches tall.

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“They came via Chicago and they were put on a buggy to travel through the airport,” says Peter. “Money was no object. It was fantastic.” But nine months later Warner Brothers decided to use CGI instead of stop motion to get the film finished on time. “We were disappointed but Warner Brothers gave us a very generous pay off which allowed us to buy this building outright. Warner Brothers and Tim Burton treated us incredibly well.” Mackinnon & Saunders then went on to work on Bob the Builder for ten years ‘on and off’. “It was delightful,” says Peter. “We were being paid to design Tonka Toys for a living. Bob was filmed in a unit in Altrincham Business Park. Not a lot of people know that! “A huge empire has been built on one little sketch.” Then in 2002 they got the chance to work with Tim Burton again on The Corpse Bride, a classic spooky tale of love and death which was an immediate hit and is still much loved around the world. “We did it from start to finish, says Peter. “It was exciting but we were nervous because The Nightmare Before Christmas was such a classic. By then the internet had kicked in and it was a Godsend to get answers the day after we had sent something over for feedback. Emails bounced around between London, Manchester and the USA. “It was launched at the Venice Film Festival and we breathed a sigh of relief when it went down well. It was a magical experience. We were ferried in water taxis to a reception at the roof garden at the Guggenheim Museum on the Grand Canal. “I walked down the red carpet with Helena Bonham Carter who was the voice of The Corpse Bride, and she wanted to talk about how we had made all the puppets. “During the reception I stood quietly to one side and watched it all thinking ‘how did we get here?’ I wanted to take in as much of the experience as I could to bottle it and remember it forever.” An Oscar nomination followed for The Corpse Bride but they were pipped at the post by Aardman’s Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. They went on to work on Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie and Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr Fox, which were also nominated for Oscars.

“I hated school. I always think it’s sad when people say they are the best years of their lives. There’s so much more out there”

“We didn’t win. We’re always the bridesmaid and never the bride,” says Peter and adds generously: “The Wrong Trousers is just about as perfect as an animated film can be.” Series of Postman Pat, Twirlywoos and Toby’s Travelling Circus soon followed and in 2013 they opened a joint venture digital studio in Altrincham, Mackinnon & Saunders Digital Studios Ltd, with Komixx Entertainment. Through this they have produced the children’s animated TV series called ‘Wanda and the Alien’

for Channel 5 and there are other projects in the pipeline. But it is this little story which sums up Peter’s love and respect for his craft. “We were asked to renovate the Postman Pat models which means taking them apart and seeing what they are made of. We decided we couldn’t take a scalpel to such a loved character as Jess the cat so I asked a friend of mine at Manchester Royal Infirmary if he could X-Ray her instead. And he did!” n

In association with

LEGAL BRIEF Ward Hadaway

Selling up - without selling yourself short Most business owners will sell their company at some stage – but how should you best go about this and, in a climate where unsolicited offers to buy businesses are on the rise, how should you cope with an unexpected approach? Paul Johnson, corporate partner in the Manchester office of UK Top 100 law firm Ward Hadaway, takes a look Unless you want to reject all approaches out of hand, a sensible first step would be to conduct some due diligence on the potential acquirer – have they bought businesses before? Do they look like they can afford to buy your company? What kind of reputation do they have in the marketplace? Acquisition approaches often come from people and organisations you may already have a relationship with, such as a customer, supplier or competitor. If this is the case, be careful how you handle their enquiry and what you tell them about your company especially in the initial stages as this could just be a fishing trip to find out more about your business. If you decide you want to move the process forward, talking to your professional advisers is a must. Ensure they are experienced in selling companies not all accountants and lawyers are. They will give you advice on the approach, help to manage the process and give you the benefit of their experience in evaluating any offer. Some basics: • Do put in place a confidentiality agreement; • Don’t disclose very confidential information too early; • Don’t let the buyer talk to your employees and customers, at least until a deal has been agreed and documentation well advanced; • Do focus on the business; • Do talk to your advisers before agreeing a deal Although many businesses are sold after an unsolicited offer it is often not the best way of achieving the best deal - would you just sell your house to someone who knocked on your door? I’ve set out below some rules for those looking to plan a sale: • Plan early; • Think about what would encourage you to buy the business; • Do some due diligence on your business - is it fit for purpose? Will it stand up to the due diligence process? • Take tax advice to get yourself in the best tax position;

• Look at ways to improve the key drivers to value, often a combination of profit net of tax, interest and depreciation and the level of cash/indebtedness; • Keep control of any process. You should engage with your professional advisers early on so they can help you identify potential buyers, such as private equity houses and your own management team as well as trade buyers. A shortlist should be drawn up and a plan on how to communicate with potential buyers agreed. Using your advisers in the early stages can enable progress to be made without your identity being disclosed. Then things often begin to develop their own momentum but remember ‘keep control’, not just because you want to but because it can and often does add real value to the deal. Key areas to help get and keep the best deal: • Be clear at the outset as to terms that are important to you and get the buyer to set out their approval to such terms before you agree to a deal; • Keep competitive tension between potential buyers for as long as possible; • Reduce the time between agreeing to deal with

one buyer and completion. There are other matters that are important over and above the headline price: does the buyer want you to stay on? Is some of the price dependent on future results? What’s your potential exposure if something goes wrong? Following the ‘rules’ and keeping in mind the ‘key areas’ should enable the best offer to be negotiated and reduce the risks of this being chipped away. The likelihood of nasty shocks should be reduced if proper planning has been undertaken and the process has been designed to maximise value. Last stages of a sale require patience – there can be many final hours of a deal. Bear in mind that everyone will be doing their best to get things completed as soon as they can and sometimes patience is the best way of achieving that.

For more information on the issues raised by this article, please contact Paul Johnson at paul. johnson@wardhadaway.com or on 0161 837 3903.

INTERVIEW

e g a c i m o t a An n o i t u l o rev

bqlive.co.uk

ing and g n a h c s i Banking banks are driving er challeng t change. Peter tha one much of ks to Craig Iley, k tal tom Ban Jackson A f o s r e und of the fo

INTERVIEW bqlive.co.uk

Banks have not enjoyed a good press in recent years, having been condemned as either villains or scapegoats. RBS still seems a long way from repaying the taxpayer and, at the time of writing, Germany’s troubled Deutsche Bank has seen its shares plunge to its lowest ever level. So, you might think it would call for a high degree of courage - or foolhardiness - to found a new bank in this environment, but there are plenty of shrewd operators who see opportunity amidst the challenges and have set up so-called challenger banks. Among these is Atom Bank, founded and headquartered in Durham, a city famous for its university and its miners’ gala, but not for financial services. And the bank, based in the city’s leafy outskirts, is way beyond the stage of being a twinkle in the eye. It was formally established in April 2014, swiftly raised £135m of capital, gained its banking licence and put in place its key technological infrastructure. Having been set up with just six people, it now has about 250 full time staff operating from two sites in Durham and a small London office. It is now in business and is developing a full retail and commercial banking service and will shortly be announcing a new mortgage product. The citizens of Durham, however, could be forgiven if they remain unaware of this new financial institution. When I pull up in the carpark at around 8.30am I could have arrived at one of the university’s newer colleges. The Atom staff turning up for work look more like students than bankers – young, casually dressed, often riding bikes and sporting a high

concentration of hipster facial hair. It’s banking, but not as we know it. I met Craig Iley, Atom’s managing director of business banking and one of its founders. Iley, 52, has a background in traditional banking, having started at TSB in 1983 and reaching the position of regional director for Santander. Like most of the bank’s employees, he wears sweatshirt and casual trousers – it’s all much more Silicon Valley than Threadneedle Street. He is fully conscious of being part of a Brave New World and it’s something he has clearly thought long and hard about. He explains in a measured, almost academic way, the nature of the changes we are all seeing. “The world is in the middle of its third revolution and that revolution is a Digital Revolution. Unlike the Agricultural Revolution or the Industrial Revolution, the pace of change is significantly faster and as a population we will probably only get something like 20 years to adjust. This Digital Revolution will affect every aspect of life and it doesn’t really matter where you work, whether it’s in health, education, manufacturing or in banking. For banks in particular, this is going to mean a very painful adjustment.’’ He argues that banks are based on a 17th century model, designed to physically move paper around a local physical environment whereas banking in the 21st century will be a matter of moving data digitally and internationally. He cites a report by management consultancy McKinsey in February which highlighted that the worldwide trade in data is now estimated to be worth more than the economic value of all manufactured goods and associated trade.

igh rting a h o p s d n a we bikes n riding ut not as e b t f , o g , in d k e n dress t’s ba casually ial hair. I c a f r e t “Young, s hip ation of concentr know it”

INTERVIEW bqlive.co.uk

It has been against this backdrop that Iley and his fellow founders analysed trends in financial behaviour, technological developments, the convergence of technological devices and the blurring of the distinction between work and home life. “We believe that people are more and more seeking to have a relationship with their money rather than a relationship with their bank,’’ he says. To satisfy that need, they set about creating a new type of bank and for this new model they identified three key elements: low cost; transparency; and innovation. Iley argues that the cost base of traditional banks is too high leading to the development of complex and expensive products which are often unsuited to their customers’ needs. “Transparency, I believe is the battleground for

the future of banking over the next five to ten years,’’ he says, adding that banks have been allowed to develop “very opaque’’ business models making it impossible for customers to understand exactly what they are paying for and whether it represents good value. Innovation is crucial in giving consumers greater power. “This is very much a journey and we have made significant strides in introducing things such as biometric security and access and a very interactive app which is based on gaming technology rather than simply transferring a website to a mobile platform,’’ he says. “We’re developing our systems to be more interactive and able to link with other interfaces and we’ve developed a very slick process to allow us to lend money to SMEs. There remains much to do but

a g to have in k e e s e mor with more and n a relationship e r a le p o e er tha ve that p oney rath m ir “We belie e h t hip with relations k” their ban

we’re excited by the possibilities.’’ The app has been developed for Apple and Android devices and Atom has built a deposit product to provide the business’s liquidity and fund its business lending product and it will soon unveil its new mortgage product. It is also working on personal and business current accounts and debit and credit cards. “While these products will be recognisable as traditional banking products, we have some surprises that we believe will delight the market,’’ says Iley. For liquidity Atom Bank will rely on depositors and not the interbank market. “If you look back to the financial crash of 2008, some of the businesses that got caught up in that were actually solvent but because liquidity markets froze around the world they were unable to fund their ongoing business models,’’ he says. Atom’s deposit product has allowed it to reach the stage where it is now lending to support business growth. “At the moment we are lending to SMEs which have a requirement to borrow and we are looking to balance that with a sensible credit appetite and sensible security requirements,’’ he says. Atom will be willing to secure loans against assets other than bricks and mortar, such as an occupational lease or a debtor book. While the bank will be highly automated and technology driven, it will still place great importance on manual underwriting. “That is really important. Because of the variation we get in SMEs across the UK no bank has managed to successfully automate the lending process in the sense of the decision making,’’ says Iley. “But what you can do,’’ he adds, “is improve the process.’’ Traditionally that process would involve visits to the bank, supplying financial records, the relationship manager forwarding an application to Credit who would analyse it and ask their own questions – a process which could take six weeks. Iley says Atom Bank can complete the process in 72 hours. How? Iley explains that Atom uses its UK-wide network of intermediaries, made up of SMEs’ trusted advisors such as financial advisors and brokers and accountants.

INTERVIEW bqlive.co.uk

al ve region strong a h o t t n a “If you w ou have to have a y, y have to autonom e otherwise you he bas n where t o d financial n o L o ually t d” go contin controlle e r a s g in purse str

“We work with a small group because we have to have confidence in the quality of the information that comes to us and we do extensive due diligence on these partners,’’ he says. Technology then comes into play with Atom’s Digital Bridge which links to the borrower’s accounting package allowing it to submit information electronically. “By giving them the opportunity to do it digitally, it takes away a lot of the hassle factor for them,’’ he says. “But it does much more than that behind the scenes, it also helps us understand how the accounts have been compiled and it means we don’t have to keep going back asking for information because the information they submit tends to be more complete.’’ The information can be fed directly into the

underwriter’s analysis tools giving them more information in a more streamlined way. Iley adds: “What it also allows us to do is to share information back with the client and their advisor who can use this information to help them improve the operation of their business,’’ “We are saying that as part of your banking you can have all this information back for free. In the past banks have taken information from SMEs and have used that to make sure the balance of power in that relationship sat with the bank.’’ He believes this anticipates far-reaching changes which are coming to business, with it becoming increasingly necessary for firms to digitise their accounting, as HMRC, for example, moves increasingly to online and digital processing. Atom’s ambition is to act as a thought leader and work with businesses in adapting to, and

adopting, the new technology. If Atom’s vision is realised then it could drive a banking revolution, which will not only be good for consumers but also for regional economies outside London. Iley says: “We’ve had a huge amount of support because we are creating something different and bringing high quality jobs to the area. “If you want to have regional autonomy, you have to have a strong financial base otherwise you have to go continually to London where the purse strings are controlled. The idea of having a financial centre isn’t just unique to the North East, it has planted a seed for other areas. The fact that we can do it here I hope will give confidence to businesses everywhere that in the digital world it’s possible to do things wherever you are.’’ n

ENTREPRENEUR bqlive.co.uk

Titanic struggle not to be a loser Lawrence Kenwright lost everything, but his daughter’s tears inspired him to make a comeback, as Dawn Collinson reports

When he touched down at Changi Airport in Singapore, with a mission to gain investors for his hotel in the Liverpool home of the Titanic, Lawrence Kenwright could hardly have received a more ominous welcome. “I got off the plane and there was a newspaper headline ‘Singapore investors taken for a ride by British developers’,” he laughs. “So that was a great start…” Undeterred, he got on stage in front of 400 people and, for an hour and a half, sold them the concept of Signature Living and how he planned to bring the historic former HQ of the White Star shipping line back to life. “At the end, the guy organising it said ‘anyone interested, please stay around and ask questions’. About 300 stayed, so after another hour and a half he then said ‘if you want to buy, raise your hands’. They nearly all did. I only had 65 units. So he said ‘all write your names on a piece of paper, throw them into a hat’. “I couldn’t believe it. They were picking these names out and these guys were running up like they’d won the Lottery! Then they were queuing to part with £100,000 to me. Within three hours I’d raised £6m -

“I couldn’t believe it. They were picking these names out and these guys were running up like they’d won the Lottery! Then they were queuing to part with £100,000 to me”

ENTREPRENEUR bqlive.co.uk

“I got to the door one Saturday morning and I was trying to get the key in and my brain was saying ‘you’re locked out because you’ve gone into liquidation’ but my body kept saying ‘no, no, no’. I was there for 10 minutes, trying, but I couldn’t get in”

enough to buy and renovate James Street.” The landmark hotel in Liverpool city centre is now the showpiece in a portfolio of hotels and serviced apartments which, at last count, showed a turnover of £200m. “For the year just gone by we’ve got profits of around £10m, and this year we’re aiming for £40m profit,” he adds proudly. Lawrence’s story is, in his own words, “rags, riches, below rags, and then back up again.” Born in Walton, the docker’s son left school at 15, before his O’levels, to start work at Barker

& Dobson’s sweet factory. Six months later, it closed and he found himself shovelling Fuller’s earth, eight tons a day, for six months. “The smell was horrendous,” he recalls, “but then I got a job working for Ethel Austin on a threemonth contract as a van lad. I moved up to be an assistant warehouse lad, a warehouse lad, a manager, then on the accounts and a buyer.” When he left it was to open his own retail stores. By the time he was 29 he had 32, turning over £11m a year. “But it was the worst time of my life, I was getting up and

going to bed at stupid o’clock, going away for a month at a time when I had a young family, so I decided to sell the stores and put it all into property development because I thought I could just do that and double my money.” With hindsight, Lawrence admits his lack of relevant experience cost him dearly. The property crash of 2007 wiped out his business and he was made bankrupt. “I always remember standing outside Victoria Street apartments, just down the road from the Shankly Hotel we have now, and I knew I

ENTREPRENEUR bqlive.co.uk

was in trouble. I got to the door one Saturday morning and I was trying to get the key in and my brain was saying ‘you’re locked out because you’ve gone into liquidation’ but my body kept saying ‘no, no, no’. I was there for 10 minutes, trying, but I couldn’t get in. The liquidators had changed the locks.” Shattered by the realisation he’d lost everything, Lawrence confesses he “went to bed for three months.” It took a desperate phone call from his daughter to drag him from rock bottom. “She was in the headmistress’s office in Merchant Taylors’ School because I hadn’t paid the fees, I just didn’t have the money. She was screaming ‘dad, you promised me, you lied to me, they’re throwing me out of school’. “I bolted upright, got out of bed, phoned a friend who lent me some money to pay off the fees, and that’s when I got the impetus back. I didn’t want to be the guy who’d lost everything, I didn’t want my kids to think I was the guy who’d lost everything, I just didn’t want to let them down.” When he bounced back it was, he says, with a vigour he’d never had before. “I was fuelled with this drive and desire,” he says. “I taught myself how to build websites, do SEO strategies, social media content writing. “There was a 2000 sq ft apartment on the top floor in Victoria Street and we bought it back in 2009 but I was clueless about how I was going to fill it. It wasn’t efficient, you couldn’t just have two people in this huge apartment. “But at the time I was really into Facebook, understanding algorithms, and I noticed that groups of people were far more prevalent and there were far more of them because of social media. “If you went to university 20 years ago you might have kept hold of maybe one or two friends from then, but if you go now the likelihood is you’ll hang on to a hell of a lot more because it’s so much easier to keep in contact. So when you have parties, like stags and hens, those groups are much larger. The average is 20 people, and I directly attribute that to Facebook and the connectivity it’s brought. “I threw the dice based upon that. “We decided to put 15 beds in this apartment, we put it out on social media because the online websites didn’t have a format to accommodate 15 beds, and within 2-3 months it was sold out for 6-9 months in advance.”

“I didn’t want to be the guy who’d lost everything, I didn’t want my kids to think I was the guy who’d lost everything, I just didn’t want to let them down”

He replicated the idea in Mathew Street and Bold Street, gambling heavily on the influx of stag and hen parties into the city. “Our main competitor at the time, and still, was Travelodge – but if you get 30 people there, you end up with 15 groups of two, scattered all round the hotel and then how do you get them to all come together to go out? Someone’s doing their hair, someone’s doing their make-up, it’s a nightmare. “I’m not a fan of Big Brother – I can’t think of anything worse, I’m 50 years of age – but when you’re 20-25 you’re not coming to Liverpool to sleep that much, you’re coming to have a great time and that’s about being with your friends. “We understood that and we were on a rich vein that no-one else was on.” Signature Living’s first hotel was an 11-bed in Mathew Street, followed by 30 James Street, then The Shankly, dedicated to Liverpool FC’s legendary former boss and created in collaboration with the Shankly family. Lawrence intends to take his bed count in Liverpool up to 2,000, and there are developments ongoing in Cardiff, Belfast, Preston and Marbella. He wants to add office space to his portfolio, bringing more businesses into the city, and he has ambitious plans for a homeless centre. “It’s really important that we put back in,” he explains. “Building hotels is cool but that is more exciting.” The 50-year-old has attracted his share of criticism, mostly for buying and developing listed buildings, and he accepts there’s “still a bit of work to do” in persuading some people he’s not the villain of the piece. “If anyone is critical of Signature, it’s probably because they don’t know the true story and maybe they’re a tad jealous of us seizing the day and getting it done. “We’re actually saving old listed buildings that no-one else could make work or make viable. “James Street is an amazing building with its own DNA, and artefacts, and when we took it on it was very much about saying ‘this is your building, your city, did you know?’ It’s a building

with a huge history and we’ve come along and made it public again. For the first time in its history, it’s a public building and we wanted to engage with people about it, in a feelgood way.” But is a hotel really openly accessible to the public, even if they’re not guests? Lawrence insists his, especially those with a significant heritage, are. “You can walk into James Street, go up the stairs, go onto the roof, and we love that. We’re open to everyone, it genuinely is public. We had 2,000 - 3,000 people queuing round the block when it first opened and the amount of people who kissed and hugged me and thanked me for bringing that building back into use actually made me feel scared because then you realise you’re not the owner, you’re the custodian. That’s the mindset you’ve got to get in: I’m just the custodian of buildings but I want to make them as interesting and intriguing as I can so people feel a desire to come in and see them. “That’s what people in the accommodation industry don’t seem to understand, and I’m thankful that they don’t,” he smiles. With five children, including twin babies with wife Katie, Lawrence says life now is amazing, but having made it and lost it all before, isn’t there a danger he could expand too rapidly and repeat history? “The thing about losing everything is you never get too big for your boots, I’ll carry bags and brush floors and do whatever needs doing in this business. I’ve lost any arrogance. I don’t wear a watch, I don’t have a big car or a big house, I don’t spend money. So I am aggressively going forward but based on an algorithm which I know works so whether the economy overboils or falls apart, I’m safe. “When you come back from where I was you’re always anchored by it: by my daughter crying, not being able to get that key in the door, by the sheer embarrassment of having everyone know,” he reflects. “I’m safe because I’m always thinking, what happens if?” n

PROFILE Baltic Training

Business as Unusual - recruitment and skills post Brexit The UK is set to unplug from the shared network of the EU, and many businesses are beginning to evaluate how their workforce may look if the worst-case scenario were to take place

PROFILE Baltic Training

The skills gap in the IT sector is already a key priority for both the government and employers, as many companies already struggle to fill roles with the highly skilled workers necessary to keep Britain competitive on the international digital stage. According to the Tech Nation report - produced by Tech City UK an authoritative analyser of the UK’s digital economy - 40% of employers have confirmed their greatest challenge to growth is attracting talent, with 20% of employers having to recruit from the EU. Post-Brexit, the prospect of losing workers and broadening the skills gap even further, poses many questions of the UK, principally, how are employers going to find highly skilled workers to not only fill the gaps but create the competition necessary to raise the standards of the technology sector as a whole? One thing that is clear from this event, is the need to futureproof the UK’s workforce against further changes in the technology sector. This is a process with a domestic focus, given the large cloud hanging over foreign workers at the moment, which then asks questions of the UK education system. An immediate solution to this growing problem can surely be found with apprenticeships. Employers have an opportunity to benefit from a low-cost, low-risk way to bring new talent into their business, and also a highly effective way of developing the skills of their future workforce, with the added benefit of government funding to cover the costs of training. Last summer the government revealed their ambitious plans to increase the number of apprenticeships in our country to 3 million by 2020. Prior to this, the government commissioned an independent review of apprenticeship programmes in England in order to gain an understanding how this could be achieved. ‘The Richard Review’ took place in 2012 and was tasked with identifying how more employers could take on apprentices. The review identified a number of key areas where significant improvements were required in order to make apprenticeships more responsive and better aligned to the changing needs of employers. This, in turn, would increase the quality of apprenticeship programmes, making them much more valuable and beneficial to employers.

Louise Ball

The aims were to: • Put employers in the driving seat • Increase the quality of apprenticeships • Simplify the system • Give employers purchasing power. The solution = Trailblazer Standards which will be replacing the existing apprenticeship frameworks. These new standards are written definitions of the skills, knowledge and behaviours an apprentice must demonstrate within their job role. The new apprenticeship standards have been designed by the leading employers in the digital sector. Apprenticeships not only offer employers the opportunity to mould their own highly skilled experts, but they provide an immediate employee that can work from day one. From the young person’s

“40% of employers have confirmed their greatest challenge to growth is attracting talent, with 20% of employers having to recruit from the EU”

perspective, apprenticeships don’t require years of higher education before the rewards can be reaped in the workplace. With the pace that the technology sector evolves, having an employee who is actively learning and up to date with advances as they develop, is one of the most efficient forms of education. It is a widely held belief that the information that you learn at the start of a higher education course in computing is out of date by the time you find a job after graduating, meaning further time must be spent by employers bringing a fresh graduate up to speed. In contrast, after three years of employing an apprentice (the length of your average undergraduate degree) employers can be sure that they have an emerging expert in their field, who is experienced in the role, and whose development has been tailored to suit the company from the outset. The utilisation of apprentices not only closes the gap on the digital skills shortage, but it brings the UK up to speed with other countries at the digital cutting edge, such as Sweden and Germany, where apprenticeships are considered a reputable and competitive alternative to university. Some of the questions regarding training time and resources, that have limited apprenticeships in the past, have now been successfully overcome by training providers such as Baltic Training Services, where their unique, flexible and innovative approach to delivering learning is what sets them apart from all other providers. At Baltic Training Services, apprenticeships are delivered via a virtual classroom which enhances the learning experience. The apprentice can attend and complete the course without leaving the office, reducing travel and accommodation costs and increasing their effectiveness as an employee. The case for IT apprentices playing an increasingly significant role in the future of the UK’s digital workforce could not be clearer.

To learn more about apprenticeship funding and planning for your future talent pipeline – contact us on 01325 731065, yourfuture@baltictraining.com

INSIGHT bqlive.co.uk

A Fab idea for entrepreneurs Creating the right environment helps to create business. Theresa Grant, chief executive of Trafford Council explains to Maria McGeoghan how Fab Lab achieves this “If Manchester’s got one - I want one for Trafford!” As chief executive of Trafford Council, Theresa Grant is always fighting for her patch. So when she was introduced to the concept of Fab Labs - digital fabrications laboratories - it was only a matter of time before the doors opened on a great new facility in Altrincham. The Stamford New Road Fab Lab has been welcoming makers since last spring and all upgrading and renovation work is now complete. Says Theresa “I first heard about Fab Labs through Mike Shields who is the former chief executive of the Trafford Park Development Corporation. "He told me about the Barcelona Fab Lab and

we went to see the Fab Lab in Manchester. “Then I thought If Manchester has one - I want one for Trafford!” When space became available in Trafford Library opposite the transport hub the Fab Lab proposal was put to elected members who were impressed and thought it was a great idea. Fab Labs were set up to inspire people to turn their ideas into new products and prototypes by giving them access to a range of advanced digital manufacturing technology. The idea was dreamed up by renowned inventor and scientist Professor Neil Gershenfeld at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). His vision is a simple one: to provide the

environment, skills, advanced materials and technology to make things cheaply and quickly anywhere in the world, and to make this available on a local basis to anyone who wants to create something new or bespoke. “There are more business start-ups in Trafford than anywhere else in Greater Manchester,” adds Theresa. We need to help people be better at what they do." The business plan is to fund the Fab Lab for three years until it finds its feet and can survive on its own financially. Funding comprises of around £81,000 from the council over three years, £172,000 Section 106 Funding, and £90,000 from the High Street Renewal project. The Trafford Fab Lab is a collaboration between

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“I think that if you don’t use it you lose it. It’s a great collaboration between two organisations bringing experts and skills to the table” Trafford Council, Trafford College, Trafford Housing Trust and the Manchester-based Manufacturing Institute, who will run the facility. “They have all really helped us to get it off the ground,” says Theresa. “With Trafford College we have a ready supply of young people who can take advantage of the Fab Lab. "I’d also like to thank our economic growth team for pursuing this. They did a great job. They wanted to make it happen. "I’d like to see young people bringing their new ideas to the Fab Lab, and the team there will helping existing entrepreneurs with their new ideas, and make it a great place for commercial users to bring their prototypes to life. "I’d like it to be a great, accessible place for creative networking of ideas. “We want to attract new entrepreneurs, help them make new products and hopefully help make them a lot of money. “ Cllr Sean Anstee, Leader of Trafford Council, is also a big fan. He said: said: “I am delighted to be involved in the launch of the new Trafford Fab Lab which is an excellent example of partnership working between the Council, Manufacturing Institute and Trafford College. “Trafford Fab Lab will be accessible to all

residents young and old and local businesses to encourage entrepreneurship and the growth and development of manufacturing skills. Trafford Fab Lab has got off to a great start and I look forward to seeing it go from strength to strength." The UK’s first Fab Lab was opened by the Manchester-based Manufacturing Institute in 2010 and there are now 15 dotted around the UK with more than 400 around the world. At the heart of a Fab Lab is digital manufacturing technology, combining 2D and 3D design with the latest fabrication technology. Embracing a broad spectrum of methods ranging from CNC machining to 3D printing, it can produce a single unique product from a digital design in a matter of minutes – and at a very low cost compared to traditional tooling methods. Upcoming courses at the Altrincham Fab Lab include how to laser cut Christmas cards and decorations, how to 3D print and how to operate the lab’s ShopBot. Neville Chamberlain, chairman of the Manufacturing Institute said: “Fab Labs go right to the heart of our mission - to support manufacturing. Altrincham is the perfect spot for a Fab Lab. “We’re right in the middle of the town centre,

with great public transport links. We look forward to making this Fab Lab a special success." Karen Wroe, founder of Altrincham arts and heritage centre Art With A Heart, moved next door to the Fab Lab roughly at the same time that the Fab Lab team moved in. She said: “ Part of our work is skills development for young people. “We’ve worked with graphic arts students to create signage and we actively promote the Fab Lab in any way we can. “I think that if you don’t use it you lose it. It’s a great collaboration between two organisations bringing experts and skills to the table so that the whole is greater than the two parts. "It’s a fantastic addition to Altrincham. I can see it growing. This is just the start.” And Altrincham artist John Lockwood, who is a regular Fab Lab user, added: “The guys there are brilliant. You can do your own projects and there is a great team spirit. People are always happy to talk about what they are doing and always ready to give you advice. “You can pay for commercial time, or go in on the community days on Friday and Saturday and work on your own stuff just paying for materials.” n

INSIGHT bqlive.co.uk

The Northern

Talent Campaign 2016/17

BQ’s Live Debate at a round table lunch at Manchester’s plush Innside hotel was attended by key figures from creative and digital industries in the North. Rob Earnshaw: “We are trying to come up with a way to encourage more people to come, stay, and work in the North to meet the skills problem that we have. We currently have 2.1m people working in the creative media digital sector in the UK. We need another 1.2m between now and 2022. “We have a huge digital skills shortage problem and more so in the North of England. When graduates come out of university or apprenticeships they automatically think that London is the place to work in the sector. The idea of our campaign is to bring all the regions of the North together to come up with some real, sound recommendations to take to Government and say ‘this is what the private sector believe needs to happen.’ A lot of areas across the North are doing fantastic things. They are doing apprenticeships, graduate placements or skills events and we want to bring those things together rather than being siloed. Hopefully we can get some really good recommendations about how we can get more young people into apprenticeships in the north of England. “

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The issue: “What do employers and training providers need to do to increase apprenticeship numbers across the creative and digital sector in the North and how can we make it easier for employers to take on apprentices?” Louise Ball: “I was an apprentice myself when I was 16 and I have spent the last 12 years of my career working in the apprenticeship sector in digital and IT. I find it very, very rewarding and in the business where I work now we have supported 6,000 young people in to job roles in the last seven years. Those roles would not have existed except for the work that we do, going out there and convincing employers to give an opportunity to a young person. What I would like to get out of today is to understand as a training provider what skills we need at entry levels. We want to work with you to make sure that the programmes and training we do gives you something that you need and something that you value.“ Mark Stringer:“I think this debate is about bringing new people in. I graduated from Salford and went straight to London and got quite a few roles. Then I decided that I wanted to come back to Manchester. I came back for my girlfriend and I liked my mum’s cooking. I came back and worked in a couple of agencies for a few years and then set up on my own. Moving on to where the talent comes from we’ve got what I think is one of the best developers in our agency. He was a painter and decorator and he taught

himself how to code and is now our lead, front end developer. I’ve got a cousin who was sick of climbing in small holes as an electrician, he came into the agency to do something different and passed all his qualifications. He is now an account exec in a client services team. Again, I think we need to think about where all that talent will come from. It doesn’t necessarily mean that it will come from young people. It’s about who has the right mindset and skill-set to come in and help out. “There are some amazing agencies out there doing some great things. We went to an event in Liverpool and picked an apprentice who was with us for about six months. That has gone really well. He did a lot of video so we got him a job with another agency. We did some work with the chamber of commerce and teamed up with four Stockport colleges on a project called Gander - the ability to go in to a place of work and see what it is like can help cement whether you want to go in to that industry or not. You need to think back to when you were at college. I think we need to get the talent early.“ Stuart Kirby: “We work on the Amaze Academy training programme which is very similar to apprenticeships. We do it entirely in-house so

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“One of the biggest things is just awareness, of the young people who stay here, the fact that there are great jobs here.” we take care of training ourselves. We go to colleges, we go to universities, We are quite keen to support all levels, all ages. It can’t just be about universities or we wouldn’t be talking about this today. There’s not enough of them. We’ve got a mixture of ages from 18-32. We’ve got a programme running at the moment with Manchester college. We’ve said, ‘these are the technologies that we need at Amaze. These are the technologies that the digital sector needs generally.’ We go in to Manchester College every four weeks and do a three-hour guest lecture or workshop. Every student in the first year gets a mentor from one of the Amaze developers. Open though we are to apprenticeships we have a disconnect. You’ve got an apprentice. We’ve got to train them on the job or send them to a training provider. What is the difference and what is the training provider doing? If the goal of the training provider is to give them a qualification, what qualification is it? At the end of the apprenticeship, if they’re not taken on they find themselves in a position of having a year of experience, but is their qualification robust enough to take them to university, get them a job, or is it going to be another apprenticeship? Collaboration between the training provider and employers is probably the biggest link of all. It’s extremely difficult to make that scalable. The apprenticeship revolution is really quite young.” Kirsty Styles: I’ve been doing this for a couple of months and have gone from Liverpool all the way up to Newcastle to establish what is going on, what the challenges are and what the solutions are. I’ve met a lot of interesting alternative skills providers like Juice Academy. We are setting the strategy as we speak but one of the challenges is mapping out what the problems look like and what the solutions look like. Where are the best alternative skills providers? Where are the best FE colleges? What kind of skills are they providing pre-entry to Masters level? If I was a learner or an employer how would I go to find out what geographically is available to me, what skills-wise is available to me in any given area? We are also trying to scale the alternative skills sector. What’s happening in Liverpool? What’s happening in Newcastle? What could these providers learn from each other? How do they convince

employers that they are the right people to turn to? One of the biggest things is just awareness, of the young people who stay here, the fact that there are great jobs here. I’ve just moved back after five years in London as a tech journalist. I’m sure there is appetite to move. You can’t buy a house in London. We’ve got great companies and great people here. It’s a great job and I’m very excited to work together with everyone.” Helen Watson: “I’ve been there a long time and we have run a variety of graduate programmes. We tried one apprenticeship scheme with a partner that didn’t work out that great. We were asked to come along on an odd day just to see what they were up to but it felt like we weren’t in control of it. We recruited that apprentice at the end of that scheme and then we looked at our own academy. So we came away from apprenticeships. We brought Stuart in to run that for us because we needed to focus more on structure. It’s in its second year now and it’s working really well. So for us it’s really what should we look out for? What should we be doing with an apprenticeship? How can we influence the training so that it is successful for us as well? Lee Frater: “I work with organisations who are supporting small businesses, working with small businesses, to help them to understand digital technology and the benefits of digital technology for their company. Often the work that I do is around the cloud at the moment as that is a big focus for Microsoft. In my prior role to Microsoft I actually headed up the digital growth programme here in Greater Manchester so I was leading on the initiative to support businesses to understand digital technology and how that could actually help them, and we touched on apprenticeships or upskilling individuals in your own organisation. One of the things that I find all the time is actually educating people or educating society as a whole, shall we say, around what those opportunities are for the individuals who go in to those roles. One of the things I find as a parent, I talk to parents a lot of the time, is that they don’t see the value of an apprenticeship. They think my child will go to college, go to university, get a degree and then after that they will get a job. Whereas actually, now, I think, my son’s

TAKING PART Rob Earnshaw, director of DigitalCity, based at Teesside University Louise Ball, operations director, Baltic Training Mark Stringer, founder of multi award winning branding and digital agency, AHOY Stuart Kirby, responsible for delivering and managing training across Amaze - a full service digital marketing, technology and commerce consultancy Kirsty Styles, head of talent and skills for Tech North Helen Watson head of HR, Amaze Lee Frater, head of strategic influencer partnerships in the North at Microsoft Stephen Preyzner, business development, Baltic Training James Summerscales, business development manager, ONE marketing agency Wayne Silver, managing director, ONE marketing agency Arlene Bulfin, head of people development, UKFast Sandy Grom, assistant director, Digital Economy Unit, DCMS In the Chair: Caroline Theobald, BQ Taking Notes: Maria McGeoghan, BQ Venue: Innside hotel, Manchester BQ is highly regarded as a leading independent commentator on business issues, many of which have a bearing on the current and future success of the region’s business economy. BQ Live is a series of informative debates designed to further contribute to the success and prosperity of our regional economy through the debate, discussion and feedback of a range of key business topics and issues.

only young, but I think I would rather he did an apprenticeship and got the skills and actually had something that was valuable for that business. I think there is a big education piece that needs to happen around parents and the disconnect at the moment with regard to what the right career path is for someone. In the past I have run my own business, have been a successful entrepreneur, and I now work for Microsoft. I dropped out of university. I do not have a degree, but I am successful in my career and I think that inspiring people to show them what the opportunities are out there in an organisation, is a big focus that we need to address. In the

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digital and creative industries one of the things that we see in Microsoft is the gender imbalance, improving the number of women in the sectors is a big focus for us. We’ve got an initiative called DigiGirlz where Microsoft volunteer employees go out and help young girls in schools with coding and all those type of things.” Stephen Preyzner: “This is an interesting debate because I am coming to it on the flip side to you guys. My role is senior business development and account management so I spend a lot of time with guys like you who are seeking further information on apprenticeships. My background is recruitment and sales and for me I guess one of the biggest challenges that we face when dealing with a company looking at potentially taking on an apprentice is perceived impressions, normally from a negative experience. And it maybe goes back to what Mark was talking about with work trials. Apprenticeships are important but we are also looking to place young people long-term within companies that will stay two years, three years, five years and progress with that company to get return on investment from the employer’s point of view. So to do that you’ve got to make a good match and that means listening to an employee’s needs and I don’t think that’s necessarily been done in the past. So consequently poor matches mean negative experience and that is a big portion of what we are dealing with today. We want to overcome that and say the candidates we are dealing with, the talent pool that we have at the moment, do know about PHP, they can do websites with dreamweaver, HTML and so forth, They are not coming in as wet behind the ears and going to be a drain on finances. It’s how to get that message across. Work trials

and this kind of thing work for us but I think it needs a bigger piece around that, new promotion and a place where these people can showcase their talent. Somewhere where young people can go and actually demonstrate what they can do in a public arena.” James Summerscales: “We are an integrated agency based in Sale just outside Manchester. I am business development manager so I have direct contact with apprentices. When I left University there was a big perception that it was incorrect to come up North. A lot of people in the South want you to stay there and think the best way to further your career is to stay in London. It’s completely false and I’m still talking to friends saying come up North. They still believe that they have to stay in London for their career. I think that’s the biggest challenge. Why is there that perception and how can it be changed?” Wayne Silver: “I’m from down South originally and came to Salford to do my degree and stayed in the North. I wouldn’t go back down South if you paid me. We’ve got 45 staff in the agency. We’ve been involved in taking on apprentices for probably six years now through various private sector suppliers and we actively use that very prominently during our creds presentation to clients because it chimes with a lot with clients if you have apprentices in your own business. We work with an Austrian business called Blum and they believe that all their NPD, all of their R&D is driven by apprentices. It’s a family owned business and they have been working with apprentices since 1973. When we are talking to them and saying that we are 45 strong and that there are two apprentices in the agency they loved that bit of

shared value. And you look around the landscape in the North West and I’m sure many of you will know the prominent figures who lead agencies in the North West and they are often not from a university background. They are good examples of people who are very, very successful and very good insightful people in our industry. I think one of the things that is important to us, and perhaps one of the reasons we try to attract talent, is because as well as an apprenticeship programme we do invest very heavily in ongoing training programmes, and we are an accredited member of the IPA and the IPA qualifications are portable, so you take your IPA CV with you wherever you go. It’s a very valuable resource. “On gender imbalance, the really terrible thing about that situation here is a really disproportionate lack of women at senior levels in creative and media industries in the North West. There are examples of agencies like BJL that have completely flipped the trend where the senior people are all women. I commute for an hour and a half every day and I’m a Radio 4 junkie and the other day I was listening to an article about the attitude towards apprenticeships and towards university education. I think if you get back to the old principles of sensible, relevant marketing, it’s all very well having a great product but the demand is not there because from an early age people have the attitude that university is better than non university. One of the speakers on the programme was saying that if you look at the German market they have 30 times more young people going in to technical apprenticeship routes and their economy isn’t doing that bad really. There are lessons to be learned there. I’m not making a political point but there has been a drive towards the number of people who go

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“Maybe the change needs to happen not just with employers and training companies, it also has to happen from a society point of view as well.“ to university The polytechnics aren’t here any more and they were the champions of practical degrees. Maybe the change needs to happen not just with employers and training companies, it also has to happen from a society point of view as well.“ Arlene Bulfin. We are a tech business, a web hosting company, a family owned business starting 17 years ago. About four years ago the founders wanted to look at education as they were really struggling to fill the skills gap in our business, and they knew they wanted to scale the business so they need more great employees to do that. I’m a teacher by trade but I left teaching to go to UKFast to set up the apprenticeship programme. We started to look at the current offering for apprenticeships, and how we could do that ourselves in-house with the support of a training provider. But we knew that we wanted to control a lot of what the apprentices did. We didn’t want them going on day release. We didn’t want someone else training them. We wanted them to follow a bespoke UKFast curriculum. For us the apprenticeship is the start of their journey. When they come to be assessed for recruitment we tell them that one of them will run the business long term. Sometimes when we do a promotion of the apprenticeships someone will say ‘is there a job at the end of it?’ and I will say ‘I will not give you two years of all my time and energy to let you go at the end of the two years.’ Why would people put so much energy

and time in to them and not keep them? It absolutely astounds me. So we started with four apprentices. We convinced parents to give us their children and they did thank God. We started a brilliant programme which was a lot of fun and a lot of learning for everyone. That was three and a half years ago and we have now over 40 apprentices at UKFast. The bulk of them are in the tech sector, but we have customer service and maintenance who look after our building, but what we realised quickly was that everyone started to say ‘can I have an apprentice in my department? He’s really good, or she’s really good. I want one.’ “As a business that has been really positive for us. We do a huge amount in terms of promoting apprenticeships, as a pathway in schools. I was at a primary school this morning speaking at an assembly for Year Ones who were at the front telling them about tech and what we do. We think exposure and awareness is really, really important. We brought Years Five and Six back to the business to talk about tech. “We are also trying to scale. We have written a Masters with MMU which will launch next year in cloud computing and entrepreneurship and we have put an application in with the Government to set up a free school with a digital and technical focus. We will influence the curriculum massively. “We are lucky enough as a business to have a lot of resource to look at how we can really influence the future of our industry. “Businesses need to take more responsibility

engaging with schools and colleges. Uni is too late. We are now putting code clubs in as many schools as my apprentices will go to. Kids are anything from six plus and they tell me they want to work in UKFast which is really exciting. We just want to scale it, that’s our biggest challenge at the moment. How do we do that everywhere? “ Rob Earnshaw: “This is about how we get more apprenticeships specifically in the North. It’s about encouraging young people and older people as well to take up apprenticeships in this region.“ Wayne Silver: “I went to a big social media conference last year. They had the director of European policy for LinkedIn. She was talking about how they are piloting a series of skills gap research with Manchester as the lead city in the UK and I think Barcelona and San Francisco. They are in a very unique position because they have a lot of recruiters in their network and a lot of people who give up a lot of professional information on the network. They are building dynamic maps about the types of roles that are required, in say Manchester, and the types of workforce that are available in Manchester and then they use that research to approach the education sector to say you should be putting on more of this and less of that. That sounded like a really practical use of that information and considering that someone joins LinkedIn every three seconds or so it is a very buoyant platform.” Mark Stringer: “When you look across creative tech it’s a cottage industry. The average size of an agency is 10 if not a little bit smaller. When you think about the position of those types of agencies it’s all very fast moving. They are thinking ‘I’ve got to get this pitch done tomorrow, I’ve got to get my VAT bill paid”

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“There’s a list of fast business choices that need to be made and to be honest thinking about taking on an apprentice is just going to cost time and energy. It’s just something that you put to the bottom of the list and as sad as that is, it’s the honest truth. I’m not sure what the solution is but that’s the problem. Our apprentice was great and it really changed people’s minds in the agency towards apprenticeships.” Louise Ball: “It took the MD of Accenture nine months to get an apprenticeship programme off the ground. Because of all the changes in funding and the trailblazers as well there are two massive reforms next year. Again it is adding a layer of complexity. Probably 60% of our client base is SME and I understand that you’ve got the pressures of business and you have to earn an income and then you have to go through all that. You’ve got to work with a good provider who will take the pain out of that process for you. They should get to know you, get to know your business, get to know your requirements, and then find specific people who are going to fit with that culture. Next year, when the funding changes, apprenticeship funding will be open to any age. “ Stuart Kirby: “We introduced the Amaze Academy about two years ago. It’s made quite a splash but it’s still quite young. Let’s make sure these six people we have employed are going to get the best opportunities available inside the company. We’ve got about eight partner schools working with us now with collaboration going across those teachers. We need people that are really, really skilled and are skilled as quickly as they can be. Universities still teach Java not .NET. We decided to teach it ourselves and have a tailored unique experience.“ Arlene Bulfin: “Schools and colleges are having massive cuts their budgets. Careers are always the first thing to go and schools are being measured on how many pupils they get in to university. Really in schools we need the measurement to be how many pupils are going into apprenticeships. Schools will react as they always do and meet that target.” Rob Earnshaw: “It is so important to have the right provider working alongside you. If someone has a bad experience it gets talked about within the industry and can put providers in a bad light. I think we should have some sort of recommendation on the types of good providers out there, working with good companies and

getting great feedback.“ Stephen Preyzner: “It is hard to break that stigma when a negative experience has happened.” Louise Ball: Government has an agenda to get more companies to create more opportunities for apprenticeships. A lot of employers say that the programmes were not up-to-date and relevant to the skills they needed to have. Groups of employers now come together and say ‘these are the skills and the behaviours we are looking for.’ These new trailblazer standards are slowly being introduced.” Lee Frater: ”There’s a huge focus in Microsoft around growing talent. We have apprenticeships, internships and grads as well. We are looking at talent in lots of different ways. The big focus for Microsoft is our partner ecosystem. Microsoft have approximately 25,000 partners around the UK. IT companies, re-sellers, companies around infrastructure, software and we have a big focus at the moment on how do we actually upskill our partners? Whether you are a small business or a big business, you are constantly doing stuff. It’s that constant pace of change all of the time. You have to install in your employees across the board - apprentices or not - that love of learning, of learning new things. At the Microsoft Academy where we work very closely with a lot of the LEPs and a lot of businesses around the UK. “The Microsoft mission is to empower every individual and every organisation on the planet to achieve more. From an education perspective, how do we empower everyone to get the skills that they need?” Kirsty Styles: “We are taking about what good

looks like. Talking about problems whether it’s around diversity or digital skills. In the North we’ve got incredible examples of people doing all this great stuff. How do we show that off? How do we quantify it? We expect different things from companies today. Companies are starting to be called out in a way that they haven’t been for a long time. My concern is that Government has an agenda for digital skills, Google has one, Microsoft has one. My concern is how do people get all the skills that they need no matter what the software.” Mark Stringer: “We are an industry of early adopters. We’re very flexible. I know agencies that have flexible starting and finishing times We can easily offer good hours around school times. Older people tend to be better at the soft skills like talking to people from the off. Younger people have to learn those communication skills. It’s mostly men that work in our agency. The only woman is my wife. We are actively trying to get more women in to the business. If I could get more women in to the business who are struggling to get roles, that would make me feel even better about it. “There’s a lot of jobs that we do in our sector that are hidden so we need to try and explain them a little bit more. I coach an under 14 football team and when I ask the lads what they want to do they say ‘be an accountant’. I say ‘have a look at being a developer. It’s good money, it’s flexible and it’s really exciting.’ I think that needs to be done on a bigger level. “ Lee Frater: “It’s about inspiring the parents and the youngsters and telling them what the jobs are. In all of the business around the table there

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are technical roles, sales roles, development roles and account manager roles. There is so much opportunity in all of these businesses. Young people don’t know about those roles.” Mark Stringer: “You know the Join the Army adverts? We kind of need that for account manager roles. And make it exciting.” Wayne Silver: “You pick any agency in the North West and I bet you every single one of those agencies calls the same person a different job role. Either a digital technologist - what’s one of them? - or a content architect. Years ago the pathway was very clear but now it is sort of fragmented. Where do people find the information about job roles? People are so savvy these days they will hunt it out. Young people, parents and teachers will find out where those things are on offer. They will find them but they are just not thinking that they are a valid thing to find at the moment. There is still this default snobbery that degrees are the best route, so you have to get to people much earlier in the process. I see the 18 year olds coming into our business and they have good people skills, good attention to detail, good project management and they are really, really hungry because they have made that active decision to buck the normal route of travel. You need to take the apprentices as the product champions. Run their experiences and case studies up the flagpole. That’s why Children In Need is so successful. Tons and tons of vox pops saying ‘look what it did for me. Look what it did for my child’. “ Helen Watson. “My 13 year old knows nothing about computer science so we’ve come up with something called girl.Code working with six schools doing school assemblies, and four-week course. They are also going to get a certificate at the end of it because they are all about to do their options. None of my daughter’s friends think computer science is a great idea. They think it is geeky and they would rather pick music or art. It’s

really important that we get them at year nine or before to start educating them that it’s a great career.” Arlene Bulfin: “We have looked at teachers being important stakeholders. A lot of teachers don’t have any industry experience. So we are working with a college in Wigan that we love and we are going to do teacher work experience. They are going to come to UKFast for a couple of days and see what it’s like to work in a real business. We thought that was a really nice idea.“ Mark Stringer: “I would like to see some budget invested in above the line advertising on breaking down the boundaries on what it means to work in this industry - rather than do something that is low key.“ James Summerscales: “I think the main thing is the simplification of all this. When I was looking for a job in this industry I could read 30 different things but they were all the same job really. I think we need to unify what each area is and simplify that for apprentices. I think this needs to start at agency level because agencies have to focus on what they want from an apprentice.” Rob Earnshaw: “I think it is vital that we as a sector find a way that can get in to schools to influence them and I think Government has a role to play as well to make sure that schools and colleges in the North are encouraged to promote the apprenticeship route as much as the university route.“ Wayne Silver: “I think there is such an amount of baggage associated with the word apprentice. I’ve heard people say oh, cheap labour, making the tea, wet behind the ears, so I think you should change the word. Very radical I know but there you go.“ Louise Ball: “Our mission is not only to ensure that employers are getting great people but also to ensure that the apprentice has the best possible start. That they are able to have transferable skills and can move on and

BQ live debate Organised by BQ magazine as part of its Northern Creative and Digital Industries Talent Campaign, the initiative aims to bring together a range of businesses and stakeholders who are focused on celebrating, retaining and attracting talent into the creative and digital industries with a view to meeting the needs of this high growth sector. The campaign will also act as a key influencer into central government around the North’s digital and creative skills agenda with views, opinions and proposed action taken directly to Westminster. The live debate was sponsored by Baltic Training.

move up.“ Rob Earnshaw: “When a young person spends time in a company they realise that these negative perceptions around apprenticeships are completely wrong. They are highly ambitious proactive young people who want jobs. “Maybe as a sector we could have a specific day where we allow access to schools so they can meet with the digital and creative people in the North? At least it lets young people know that there is a sector on their doorstep. “As the could we say that we are going to open our doors for this week and allow someone to come in?” Louise Ball: “I think removing the jargon and speaking to people in a way that they can understand and telling them about the benefits of where this could take them in the world and their earning potential, is really important.” Arlene Bulfin: “The National Apprenticeship Service were an amazing part of what we’ve done. At the start of our journey they supported us so much. Now we are a couple of years in we feel that that support has been withdrawn in some ways. They gave us the encouragement when we were starting off to say ‘you can do this on your own.’ If you want to drive three million apprenticeships by 2020 it’s going to need some money throwing at it. Definitely.” Kirsty Styles: “We are pulling together loads of different bits of work. A lot of the things we’ve talked about today are being looked at. Talking to people in their language is really important. Maybe we do a gonzo journalism film where you surprise people in their offices and find out what they are up to.” Louise Ball: “Thank you very much to everyone who has attended today. I really appreciate it. It’s been extremely insightful and interesting. And I hope together we can all create more opportunities. We can create outstanding careers for people. I’m certain with people like ourselves around the table it will definitely happen. “ Sandy Grom, assistant director, Digital Economy Unit, DCMS, added: “With many digital businesses reporting digital vacancies as hard to fill, taking on a digital apprentice is a good way to find someone to tailor their digital skills to meet company needs. “Thirteen employer designed digital apprentice standards have been developed from software developer, cyber security technologist and data analyst, with others in development.” n

BUSINESS FOCUS Special Feature

Managing Director Linda Dean is now in charge of two of the country’s largest training providers, Rathbone and Intraining. She tells Mike Hughes about the impact they have on their communities and her plans for growth

r e l l u f a s d e e n Why training . n o i t a s r e v n o c r and riche The numbers for Linda Dean’s businesses are impressive enough on their own: Intraining and Rathbone exist within NCG, which has four colleges, an annual turnover of £178 million and 3,000 staff across 61 locations. That huge scale enables them to work with more than 133,000 learners and 20,000 businesses each year. The influence that gives them in so many regions is magnified by the structure of the organisation. With Rathbone being a charity and Intraining a notfor-profit business, everything they make is invested back for the benefit of customers and communities alike – a central core of the way Linda is running the businesses. “We made a decision last year to bring them together so that we can give the best value for what is essentially public money,” she explained at Intraining’s Sheffield offices. “It meant we were able to more easily share key services and best practice, and from a business perspective our employer-facing staff and customerfacing staff would have a single conversation about a range of products and, probably more importantly, can have a single ‘listen’ to what our employers need.” The logistics of bringing together two key players in the training sector are daunting, but the Vision 2021 programme Linda is leading will make sure the passion of her staff for helping people get jobs

BUSINESS FOCUS Special Feature

remains undiminished. “Both organisations are centred on employability and increasing the offer to employers who will have a wider range of solutions because we are sharing the benefits of each other’s markets,” she told BQ. “But while we know we are a hugely influential operator on a large scale, for us it all comes down to the passion we have for simply helping people find work – for us it is all about levels of employability. “I was away with more than 50 of our young people at our youth conference recently and they were telling me how much they understand that what we can do together will give them sustainability and purpose and enable them to have that flat or that family they have always wanted. “They are realistic, just as we are, about the area where they might find that employability and what first steps they will have to take to get there. We see our role as getting people to that first job and accepting that some people might need two years to get there, while others might make it in eight weeks. We will help them reach the skills level and personal development level to achieve whatever they are capable of. “We know from years of experience that people don’t move forwards on a nice neat linear path when it comes to fundamentally life-changing experiences, so we need to deliver highly-personalised journeys and have to have the staff in place who can handle such a wide range of sectors and types of people. It can’t be in a typical classroom environment, it has to be done in partnership with employers to give an experience of the workplace.” Fundamentally, Rathbone’s space is working with young people around 16-24 years old who have not, so far, successfully transitioned into employment because of predominantly socio-economic circumstances. It also delivers apprenticeships in some key areas like youth work and child care and in areas like volunteering, because as a charity it understands that audience. Intraining delivers apprenticeships to adults aged from 19 onwards in areas such as business management, business and health and social care and

works closely with adults at JobCentres to deliver the Government’s work programme. “That is the framework in which we operate and it includes regular Ofsted inspections but within that there has to be uniqueness to what we can offer for individual people,” said Linda. “It is important for us and the people we work with that we are externally tested on that information, advice and guidance and both our organisations have also been through the industry’s Matrix Standard programme to make sure we deliver the very best options to as many people as we can. “The sectors we work with are also hugely varied and the range of job opportunities within them is equally wide-ranging. This means that there are chances of progress for so many people, but also means our own intimate knowledge of those sectors and the regional situation covering them in each of our 61 locations needs to be impeccable – and we work very hard to make sure that is the case. “We work in a very competitive training market, but I believe we offer a wider range of solutions than many other organisations which enables us to have a fuller and richer conversation. There are skills specialists out there, and employability

underline that. Linda said: “We are confident and realistic enough about its implications to be in a strong position to offer guidance to our customers and clients, so I see it as an opportunity for them and for us rather than a negative – and one that only affects 2% of employers. “The other 98% are the SMEs that Rathbone works with while Intraining works more with levy-payers, so we have a full picture already forming within our own work. “We are positive in terms of engagement and working with new and existing customers to deliver what they need as the landscape around them changes – and if our two organisations can’t deliver exactly what they want then we have the experience and the contacts to help them find someone who can. That is a privileged position and we have worked hard to be confident enough to offer that level of service.” For Linda, not every conversation needs to lead to a transaction – as long as something happens that is of benefit to the customer, she and her staff will take pride in acting as a conduit to help make it happen. For the future, the Vision 2021 programme will

ve forwards rience that people don’t mo “We know from years of expe on a nice neat linear path” specialists and those who work with adults and those who work with young people, but we cover all those areas and have a really big kit-bag that we can delve into to find the right answers.” Despite its scale, there is a clarity about the two organisations that will be the envy of many smaller competitors. Rathbone and Intraining are about unlocking potential through learning and passing on strong values to as many people as possible. That work can start with a single phone call, or via the website or even via its Facebook or Instagram accounts. But no matter how successful, no training organisation can ever sit back and think they have the job covered – the work changes all the time and issues like the Apprenticeship Levy

encourage a ‘past, present, future’ dialogue about the unique values of the organisation and how they can take them forward and develop their offering. “Whatever we do,” said Linda, “we will always keep employability for jobs as our focus and the key to the trusted collaborations we have with employers and the community – people will always be at the heart of our business.” With so much experience across so many sectors and regions Intraining and Rathbone are already a trusted driving force in the training sector, influencing and directing policies and strategies that are changing the way young people are trained and apprenticeships delivered. It is a challenging job with a set of responsibilities that can literally be life-changing for its own staff as well as the people it works with. n

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY

Stephen Beech is transforming Transact House

Beech Holdings granted permission to transform grade II listed shipping warehouse into carbonneutral homes A Grade II listed shipping warehouse, which has lain largely untouched for almost 70 years, has been given the go-ahead to be restored and turned into carbon-neutral homes. Number 2 Waterloo Street in Manchester city centre is one of three buildings which used to form factory and packing warehouse Transact House. After snapping up the five-tier building for just less than £1m developer Stephen Beech, founder of Beech Holdings, will transform it by creating eight one-bed, three studios, two Duplex and four two-bed apartments. The 38-year-old said Beech Holdings will preserve the heritage of the building and that the scheme will complete within six months. He said: “I am delighted to announce that we have received planning permission for Number 2 Waterloo Street from Manchester City Council. We feel honoured to have the support of the council to restore this beautiful building for the enjoyment of many generations to come. Now that the development money has officially been allocated, we will focus our efforts to ensure new tenants can enjoy beautiful, carbonneutral homes within six months.” Beech added that Number 2 Waterloo Street, which

Before

was built in 1880, gives an insight into the industrial revolution, with markings of workers’ clogs in the floorboards still visible on the upper floors. “It’s a forgotten gem and has been a ‘ghost building’ for a long time,” said the Urmston born developer, whose firm takes unloved buildings in prime Manchester locations and develops them into apartments. “You can literally see the last people who have walked there. There are dints from workers’ steel clogs which obviously chipped away at the floor. “I love the building’s character, its huge windows, and that Beech Holdings will be restoring it while also retaining its unique character. We will invest £1.2m on Number 2

After

Waterloo Street’s transformation and are very pleased to be doing so as, otherwise, it would have just been allowed to crumble and decay. “Our Beech Construction arm will bring this to market within six months, with the apartments boasting tall ceilings and open light living spaces.” It comes after Beech Holdings – the parent company of Beech Properties and Beech Construction – recently landed a £30m revolving credit finance facility, after being advised by Clearwater International. Carbonneutral property developer Beech Holdings, which has a gross development pipeline of over £150m, also launched its headquarters on Oxford Street earlier this summer.

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY bqlive.co.uk

Manchester property developer strikes up partnership with RECLAIM A partnership has launched between Manchester carbon-neutral property developer Beech Holdings and award-winning social action and youth leadership programme RECLAIM. RECLAIM, which supports young people across Greater Manchester from working class communities, is now the chosen charity of Beech Holdings, headed up by founder Stephen Beech. To kick-off the partnership Beech, who grew up in a working household in Urmston, gave a talk to almost 20 youngsters aged 12-13 at Stockport Conference Week, which is part of RECLAIM’S two-year LEAD programme. On the day, the youngsters also pitched business, social enterprise and campaign ideas to a panel, which included anti-bullying and animal cruelty initiatives. Beech - whose firm boasts 90-staff members and takes unloved buildings in prime Manchester locations and develops them into apartments told RECLAIM’S youngsters to work hard, listen to people’s opinion, but to ‘always go with your gut instinct’. Now known as ‘Manchester’s Restoration Man’, he also revealed how his business career started aged seven, selling Vimto lollies to other kids in his school playground. “It was a pleasure to talk in front of the young people from RECLAIM,” he said. “I wanted to connect with them by first telling more of my story, before then expressing how important it is to work hard and to also never let anyone tell you that you can’t achieve something.” He also said he had the pleasure of meeting RECLAIM founder Ruth Ibeguna - listed by Virgin as one of the top six female change makers internationally in 2016 - a week before he gave the talk. “All 90 Beech staff found Ruth inspiring when she visited us,” said Beech. “Holding a one-to-one meeting with Ruth also gave us both a solid platform to work from going forward as we have chosen to support RECLAIM for very good reasons. ”He added: “Coming from a working-class background myself and being Manchester born and bred, I was lucky enough to have a stable, supportive family to help me grow and ground myself enough to remain focused on working hard for what I believed in. “However, other bright young people from the same background as mine don’t always have that chance and are being fed the idea that they can’t

achieve anything because of where they come from or are being told by the media that ‘money’ is a goal and not the by-product of working hard for something that gives you a purpose in life. This is where RECLAIM does a great job. It gets young people to aspire to do positive things and earn the confidence to get their voice heard.”

NW investment market remains resilient despite Brexit decision Despite the Brexit referendum, the North West’s investment market is remaining resilient and bucking the national trend which has seen investment levels fall, according to figures released by Lambert Smith Hampton. During the first nine months of 2016, investment into the North West increased by 8% in comparison to the same period in 2015, despite the referendum. This is in stark contrast to the national picture which saw investment reduce by 37% in 2016 compared with the same period the previous year. In the third quarter of the year, the region was particularly buoyant, with several large transactions taking investment across the region up to a total of £615m. The two stand out deals, 1 St Peter’s Square (£164m), which was bought by an overseas investor, and Greengate (£110m), a PRS scheme which was bought by a UK fund, were the UK’s two biggest deals outside London, and together contributed nearly half (£274m) of the region’s overall investment spend during Q3. Abid Jaffry, head of northern capital markets, Lambert Smith Hampton, said: “Although you might expect that the recent high levels of investment in the North West has largely come from overseas buyers taking advantage of the devaluation of Sterling post referendum, that isn’t necessarily the case. More than half of the spend this quarter came from UK-based investors. There also is a real spread across the different sectors with office, industrial, retail and hotels all showing strong investment volumes. This apparent level of stability is quite surprising when you consider the current political and economic landscape, which has seen investment in Q3 drop by 25% on the same period last year. However it should be noted that a lot of the deals that happened in Q3, and in particular Greengate and 1 St Peter’s Square, were committed deals that have taken over 12 months to complete. “Nevertheless, despite strong Brexit headwinds, regional performance in the NW market continues to attract significant investment.”

NJL Consulting key planners for two Wainhomes sites NJL Consulting, based in Manchester, has submitted plans for two new residential developments in neighbouring areas of the North West. Plans have been submitted for schemes in Haighton and Whittle-le-Woods to Preston City Council and Chorley Borough Council respectively. NJL Consulting were instructed by Wainhomes (North West) Ltd as the sole planners on both developments which, if granted planning permission, will boost housing supply in the North West. The 45 new homes at Letherland’s Farm in Whittle-le-Woods, north of Chorley, will be a mix of detached and semi-detached properties and include affordable housing. Plans for 34 new homes at the Park House Farm development in Haighton, west of Grimsargh, have been recommended for approval by Preston City Council officers as a way for the council to reach its five-year housing requirements. Katie Delaney, associate director at NJL Consulting, said: “If given the green light the schemes will go part way to ensuring Chorley Borough and Preston City Council’s housing needs are met through high quality sustainable developments.”

Katie Delaney, Associate Director at NJL

BUSINESS LUNCH bqlive.co.uk

Setting sights on independent success Maria McGeoghan meets independent optician Conor Heaney at the five-star Lowry Hotel and learns about Harry Potter’s spell Not that long ago, failing an eye test while at school was a bitter blow. When I realised I was the only one who couldn’t read the blackboard during a geography A level lesson, I felt doomed to a lifetime of specs. But that has all changed - and it’s thanks to Harry Potter! I found out about this surprising turn of events during a business lunch with independent optician Conor Heaney at the five-star Lowry Hotel located on the SalfordManchester boundary. Conor owns and runs Jones And Co. Styling

BUSINESS LUNCH bqlive.co.uk

“It’s all about how you feel about your glasses. Some people even have glasses with no prescription. They feel naked without their glasses“

Opticians and is celebrating seven years at the helm. Housed in the Grade II listed Bank of England building at 82 King Street, the practice looks like no other opticians. With a highly polished parquet floor, freshly cut flowers, the aroma of fresh coffee and the strains of smooth jazz, customers may feel they have stepped into a couturier or plush hotel when they visit, rather than a place to have their eyes tested or update their specs. Conor is a passionate advocate for the independent optician, and is determined to give customers a better experience when it comes to choosing new glasses. He knows his stuff and knows when a trend tide is turning. “Kids used to lie to try and cheat their eye test because they didn’t want glasses,” says Conor, sporting a pair of very trendy retro grey frames. “Now they lie so they can get glasses. Harry Potter changed all that. “It’s all about how you feel about your glasses.

“Some people even have glasses with no prescription. They feel naked without their glasses.“ One of a family of five born in Derry in Northern Ireland, Conor studied at UMIST and left with a First Class honours degree. He worked for a small retailer and then went to work in opticians in Australia with friends, staying in a hostel. “I really enjoyed that,” recalls Conor. “We were the only ones getting up in the morning and putting on a shirt and tie to go to work.” He settled down in Manchester in 2004, and opened Jones And Co. seven years ago. “When I opened my own practice I realised that’s when you learn what works. “I try and see everything from the customer point of view. I read that at Amazon they have an empty seat in the boardroom to represent the customer. I never forget that.” So Conor set about creating something unique for his customers. “I thought that frames in the UK were a bit

boring. At Jones And Co. we travel to Antwerp, Munich, Milan, Paris and Copenhagen to source the world’s best eyewear. “And that means we can offer clients glasses that they won’t find in other opticians. Something that gives them a unique, individual look. Glasses they will actually enjoy wearing. “We want to bring the best to Manchester. I go with the whole team. I want them to be excited about what’s out there.” And instead of customers facing a baffling wall of frames there are just eight pairs on display. “It’s a guided approach,” says Conor. “We sit down and have a chat for about 45 minutes over a good coffee.” His dispensing opticians bring into play only those handpicked frames that they know will suit the lifestyle, prescription and style of the individual client. Prices start at £295 and average at £400 but some customers will spend up to £8,000 on a very special pair of frames from suppliers who use precious metals and horn.

XYXTCRZXX bqlive.co.uk

XY TXCRXYX bqlive.co.uk

“Prices start at £295 and average at £400 but some customers will spend up to £8,000 on a very special pair of frames from suppliers who use precious metals and horn”

BUSINESS LUNCH bqlive.co.uk

“Our clients are going for bigger and bolder frames. The retro influence will be around for a while. People are looking for glasses not worn by the masses.” This blend of style and optometry has helped build up a thriving business that is now one of the most successful independent practices in the country with a £900,000 turnover and continued upward trajectory. But it’s a tough market. Over the last 20 years the market share of independent opticians has dropped from 70% to less than 20% with practices closing at a rate of 300 per year. The most recent Optical Goods Retailing Report (2015) from Mintel shows that the chains Specsavers, Boots Opticians and Vision Express have 70% of the market, supermarket opticians and online make up 15% and independent practices have plummeted to 15% and this figure is still falling. The disappearance of independents is what encouraged Conor to offer his guidance to other independent opticians. He now is coach and advisor to 45 independent opticians across the UK. “The consultancy is a passion of mine,” says Conor. “I want independent opticians to thrive and by sharing my experiences I can help them to grow by offering something different to their customers.” He hosts an annual conference in Manchester to bring them together to share ideas and best practice in the competitive world of optical retailing, combined with an in-depth behind the scenes tour of his practice. “The big businesses, the chains, the shops that have clones in every town, give you nothing more than a one-night stand,” says Conor. “You’re just a number to them. Just a transaction. And tomorrow they’re on to the next customer. They’re not interested in commitment. They’re not interested in falling in love. That’s what the real strength of independent businesses is today. This is what being independent should be all about. There should be passion. Excitement. Even love.” n * Conor is the author of “The Definitive Guide To Choosing Glasses That Make You Look Good.” Readers can request a free copy of this book by visiting www.jonesand.co.uk

Great food and good value We dined in the impressive River Restaurant at the five-star contemporary Lowry Hotel. A luxury hotel located on the Salford-Manchester boundary, The Lowry is the only hotel in the region to be part of the prestigious Leading Hotels of The World and since opening in April 2001 it has won over 60 awards. The River Restaurant is one of the best places to eat and drink in Manchester with great views across the city. The restaurant offers a modern and comfortable approach to its food and guest service, making it a top quality dining experience. In such sumptuous surroundings it was a surprise to find such a great lunch deal - two courses for £19.95 and three courses for £24.95. And the food was outstanding. We opted for a fantastically tasty mushroom and tarragon soup, followed by pan-fried supreme of hake, garlic herb crust, parsley pressed potatoes, salsify and candied beetroot. It all looked and tasted wonderful and was great value for money.

MOTORING bqlive.co.uk

Alex Bell, head of media at Driving a monster of an SUV is something I hadn’t done on English soil. In America I’d driven a Mitsubishi Outlander from Boston Massachusetts up to the Northern tip of Maine. Over on the west coast during a different holiday - it was the 2013 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid that took us through the evergreen states of Washington and Oregon. Though the scenery wasn’t as dramatic back in Manchester, the car I was driving more than made up for it. When it came to discovering how easy the RX450h Premier was to drive, it soon moved into a class of its own. All you need to do is point the steering wheel in the direction you want to go - then operate the pedals. It felt different though - to any car I had

Lexus luxury scores top marks

MOTORING bqlive.co.uk

Roland Dransfield drives a luxury SUV that stands out from the crowd driven before, and that’s because the vehicle combines a 3.5 V6 Petrol engine with two electric motors, delivering power to all four wheels. In essence, the car never really feels like it’s running or even switched on. What I wasn’t surprised to learn, after handing the car back, was that the Lexus RX registered a maximum five stars in Euro NCAP’s crash tests. With 10 airbags decked out in the car, including one for the driver’s knees, it also boasts lane keeping assistant and adaptive cruise control. Another great feature with the RX is that it constantly monitors temperatures inside and outside. ‘Climate Concierge’ automatically adjusts cabin, seat and steering wheel temperatures. And infrared sensors track the body temperature of your rear seat passengers, adjusting air conditioning and seat heating/

cooling. Saying this, the car’s petrol/electrical power unit was slightly overwhelming - there are buttons everywhere. One example is the mouse just behind the gear stick that controls the widescreen infotainment system. It wasn’t the easiest to use while on the move. Another point to add is that this is a big car to say the least. You feel its size when you are on roads, as others do too. Parking though, couldn’t be easier, thanks to standard fit proximity sensors front and rear - and a reversing camera. The RX450h Premier which retails for £59,495, also features a stronger chassis than previous models - laser screw welding is carried out to produce far better strength in the body - improved front suspension and new steering. Of course, the Lexus RX didn’t just pop up from

nowhere. It was first introduced back in 1998, as a pure petrol model. Seven years later it became fully hybrid with the world’s first Hybrid SUV RX400h. And boy how that has evolved. The RX450h Premier scores 10 out of 10 for both style and safety and is a car that gives you control - especially if you can figure out what all the buttons in and around the dash do. Put simply, I didn’t want to give it back when my time driving it came to an end. What I couldn’t figure out was whether I want to drive this luxury SUV for good on home soil; or if I want to hire it during my next trip to the States. n The car Alex drove was a Lexus RX450h Premier, £59,495. Supplied by RRG Group, Lexus Bolton, 301 Bury Road, Bolton BL2 6BB. 01204 684308

SILVER ON WINE bqlive.co.uk

Smooth spaniard and the Definition of Gallic charm Wayne Silver, managing director, ONE marketing agency enjoys a special rioja and a delicate Sancerre Now I am an out and out Hispanophile, having spent a while living in the central areas of Spain I love the country, the people, the culture and the language. That’s why I am starting with the Spanish wine among the two that I was asked to sample for BQ recently. Of course the Cune Rioja Reserva 2011 is pretty much a quantum leap up from the boxes of red I used to buy from the local supermarket at 60 pesetas a time – yes I was a student a long time ago! This particular red is produced by the Compañía Vinícola del Norte de España, CVNE, which was founded in 1879 and is family owned. Their wines are still made in the original Haro winery which was located close to the train station where the tracks used to go straight into the wine cellars themselves. The definition of a Reserva is a rioja made from the best grapes of the harvest and only made during those years that were considered to have a good growing season. A Reserva must be aged for a minimum of three years with at least one year being in oak and the rest in the bottle. This example was matured for eighteen months in a mixture of French and American oak barrels, with rackings

every six months. After bottling, the wine was cellared for a year before being released. The result is a red which is robust and fullbodied with warm notes of berries and mixed spices. It is a smooth wine whose edges seem to soften over 24 hours and which needs to accompany intense rich flavours such as red meat or lamb. We decided to keep true to its Spanish roots however and enjoyed it as an admirable accompaniment to a plate of heartwarming cod and patatas bravas. My second wine was the 2015 vintage Definition Sancerre. I have followed in my mum’s footsteps in enjoying the driest white wines and so this was an admirable addition to my own future shopping list. As a linguist, even the label stands out with a phonetic transcription of the word Definition prominently displayed. Sancerre white wines originate in the eponymous beautiful hilltop town in the eastern part of the Loire valley. The town itself sits on an outcrop of chalk, which extends all the way through to the White Cliffs of Dover so we can really claim a physical connection to this outstanding wine. This Sancerre exhibits many of the well-known

tasting notes of blackcurrant leaf, lime and even white peach. There is a flinty, earthy undertone which helps to soften the potentially sharp citrus edge whilst retaining the fresh, zingy sensation on the palate. As well as being ideal to drink with fish, the delicate yet clear flavour of this wine makes it perfect to accompany the crumbly, chalky texture of goats’ cheese. Indeed there are many villages in the region which are famous for extensive varieties including the world-famous Crottin de Chavignol or goats’ cheese buttons. To put this to the test we sampled the wine with bruschetta topped with goats’ cheese, red onion and beetroot – a perfect combination. n

Sancerre Definition 2015, £16.99. Rioja Reserva 2012 CVNE, £12.99. Wine supplied by Majestic Wine Warehouse, www.majestic.co.uk

EX QY UT XI PCMR EX NY TX bqlive.co.uk

y r a n i d r o e h t e v o b a A cut ip ffers craftsmansh o s ri a P s é rm e H y, ho’s willing to pa w r e m o st cu e th For bit special and something a

EQUIPMENT bqlive.co.uk

Tucked away behind an anonymous door down a back corridor of Hermés’ corporate headquarters in Paris is where the magic happens. There, in a small, natural light-flooded L-shaped room, just five craftspeople - nearly all women, unusually for the leather goods industry - work on special projects for the French luxury goods maker. From a guitar case in crocodile to canteens for sports cars, cuff-link boxes to photo frames to official gifts from the Elysee Palace to mark state visits, from a basketball to a Bible cover to an apple carrier and, of course, lots of bags - this is where Hermés produces its one-off, never to be repeated, madeto-order pieces. “It’s a dream product - and often a very personal one - for the people who order something from here,” explains Kerry Hollinger, Hermés’ custom-made projects manager. “It’s something they can’t find, be that with the functionality they require - a pocket in a certain place, or, as we made for one customer, a fully perforated dog bag so she could take her pet into restaurants she wasn’t allowed to take it into - or just an aesthetic idea they want to pursue.” Such a product, unsurprisingly, does not come cheap - it would be many times the price of a more standard equivalent, should such a thing exist, although Hermés will not talk figures other than to the client. Hermés charges a non-returnable 10% design fee, then a non-returnable 50% on confirmation of the order. Nor is it a fast process. Once a design is agreed on - a back and forth that may in itself take six months - and a mock-up made in canvas and approved, it may be a further six months before a classic leather item is completed, depending on the workshop’s schedule. But then it is made by one craftsperson from start to finish, from

classifying and cutting the skins. “And there’s a lot of pride in that,” Hollinger notes. “There’s the sense that: ’This is my project. I made it and it’s a reflection of my skills’.” Not that Hermés will do anything. Hollinger notes that some customers need a little education - those who, as she puts it, “expect perfection” and don’t immediately appreciate that, for instance, the wrinkles, veins and other characteristics of the leather are natural, and so an important feature of an Hermés product. Other customers can be overly picky about details - the distance between stitches, for example. But, Hollinger stresses, this is not a bespoke design service so much as the chance to own a unique but still quintessentially Hermés item. Yet not too much Hermés - other customers want branding writ large. “And we won’t do that either,” she notes. “Nor will we mess with the classics - the Kelly bag or the Birkin bag, for example. We don’t have an actual list of rules for the projects we will accept and those we won’t but we know which are right for us. Some of the ideas are off the wall but that doesn’t mean they’re not right for us - we did a beautiful American football for one client as a gift for his father.” The designs that are approved by Hermés’ artistic director - as each of them has to be are, certainly, often inventive and striking. One customer who wanted her date of birth in large numbers across a bag had to make do with a

“All of the workshop’s products are costly - we say that rather than ‘expensive’ because the materials are special and the skills of the craftspeople who make them are very rare now” more subtle, and playful, way of displaying these figures - via the dimensions of exterior pockets. More recently the workshop has put 200 hours of work into the making of three small, minimalistic trunks in a tin-coloured leather, with delicate drawers and sections and handles made from multiple layers of compressed leather. Each of the three special trunks is for L’Odyssee d’un Roi - a collaborative project exhibiting also the craft of venerable French silversmiths Puiforcat (a white gold pipette), crystal-makers Saint Louis (four engraved glasses and a carafe) and Remy Martin’s Louis XIII cognac (which produced a special edition). “It’s very unusual for the workshop to work with other companies, so this is a particular kind of one-off,” explains Hollinger. “But it’s also been fascinating for us to work with craftspeople in other disciplines too.” One trunk each is to be auctioned for The Film Foundation charity in America, Europe and Asia with a starting bid of £70,000. “All of the workshop’s products are costly - we say that rather than ‘expensive’ because the materials are special and the skills of the craftspeople who make them are very rare now, which is why they’ve been with us for decades in many cases,”

explains Hollinger. “The results achieve a standard that the main collection pieces perhaps don’t attain. They’re costly too because we’re making them here amid the rooftops of Paris - but that allows clients to be sent up from our stores, and also allows clients to visit us when they’re next in the city.” The workshop takes on just a few hundred projects per year, though receives requests for many more - like getting to see the workshops in action, just getting an order successfully placed might seem something of a trial. But Hollinger stresses that to take on many more orders would be to cut against the ethos of the whole operation; to give individual attention and produce Hermés’ highest rung of leather goods, even if the technical reasons behind much of the exhaustive detailing - the use of saddle stitch, the coating of edges with beeswax and dye, for instance - are lost on many customers. “But since we’re in Paris many customers come to the workshops and see it all happening - and they typically leave with an understanding of everything that goes into the special kinds of things we make here,” she says. “And why it’s ‘costly’.” n

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INTERNATIONAL TRADE bqlive.co.uk

NORTHERN POWERHOUSE

AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE CAMPAIGN 2017 BQ is delighted to announce the PD Ports Northern Powerhouse Export Awards and International Trade Campaign 2017 The PD Ports Northern Powerhouse Export Awards and International Trade Campaign brings together businesses from across the North to recognise and celebrate their entrepreneurial exporting achievements as well as encourage others to increase their export potential. Exporting and international trade remain central to the UK’s economic growth agenda and this campaign and export awards are about recognising those entrepreneurial,

“RECOGNISING EXCELLENCE IN INTERNATIONAL TRADE ACROSS THE NORTH”

wealth creating companies that are selling their products, services and expertise in scores of overseas markets. It is vital that we appreciate and recognise those exporters who have made the transition from great local companies to potentially world class exporting businesses based in the North of England. Exporting continues to present an opportunity for the North of England to bring immediate and sustainable growth to its economy and with this in mind we need to pass the baton to SMEs across the Northern Powerhouse to consider exporting as a realistic opportunity for growth. Geoff Lippitt, business development director at PD Ports, said: “As owners and operators of Teesport, one of the top five UK ports and a major export hub, we are delighted to sponsor the Northern Powerhouse Export Awards 2017 alongside BQ. “The awards reflect our firm commitment and investment in supporting further growth of exports and the associated value to drive economic prosperity across the North; exporting will undoubtedly be a major catalyst in delivering the Northern Powerhouse. “We look forward to joining our many existing customers and other

great exporting organisations at the ceremony to hear of continued export successes and to celebrate the strength and diversity of our northern exporters.” BQ is a national brand recognised for celebrating and inspiring entrepreneurship to help businesses succeed and grow. Encouraging businesses to explore exporting opportunities is central to BQ’s ethos and one which Bryan Hoare believes will really help stimulate economic growth. “Having successfully delivered the Scottish Export Awards for the past three years alongside Scottish Enterprise, the economic development arm of the Scottish Government, we’re delighted to bring to you the PD Ports Northern Powerhouse Export Awards,” said Hoare. “We would like to invite any business in the North actively trading overseas to get involved in the awards and export campaign to help us encourage others to increase their export potential. This is a vital time in the UK economy where we need to provide inspiration and stimulation. BQ is investing in this 12 month campaign across the North East & Cumbria, Yorkshire and the North West to help stimulate growth and profile some of the North’s top exporters.”

CATEGORIES The PD Ports Northern Powerhouse Export Awards are open to all businesses with a presence in the North of England. The award categories for 2017 include: MOST ENTREPRENEURIAL EXPORTER OF THE YEAR A company that has demonstrated entrepreneurial flair within their export strategy. This will be shown through an extraordinary approach to reaching new markets where creativity, innovation and tenacity has resulted in success.

MICRO EXPORTER OF THE YEAR Recognising outstanding achievements in export growth by a company in any industry with a turnover up to £2m. This success will be measured by growth in sales and market penetration together with the application of innovative market strategies to extend export potential.

SMALL EXPORTER OF THE YEAR Recognising outstanding achievements in export growth by a company in any industry with a turnover of £2-£15m. This success will be measured by growth in sales and market penetration together with the application of innovative market strategies to extend export potential.

LARGE EXPORTER OF THE YEAR Recognising outstanding achievements by a company in any industry with a turnover greater than £15m. This success will be measured by growth in sales and market penetration together with the application of innovative market strategies to extend export potential.

EXPORT TEAM OF THE YEAR The export team of the year award will recognise a team who can demonstrate significant added value to their business through adopting innovative techniques, personnel development measures, and successful implementation of the company's export sales strategy. It should be clear how the company has developed a team-wide approach to exporting, which may well extend beyond the company to distributors, agents and other third parties who will have contributed to export success.

E-COMMERCE EXPORTER OF THE YEAR A company that through e-commerce has increased brand awareness and recognition, expanded into new markets, increased sales and efficiency and improved customer service. The winner of this category must be able to demonstrate how they have used e-commerce and trading online to significantly enhance their export growth or potential for growth.

PROFESSIONAL SERVICE ADVISER OF THE YEAR A business that does not export, but plays a key role in supporting exporters to trade overseas either directly or indirectly through providing associated services such as advice and consultancy. The professional service adviser of the year award will recognise a company that has demonstrated outstanding achievements in supporting businesses to achieve their exporting objectives. Success will be measured by the advice given and how it directly affected export growth in the companies supported.

LOGISTICS PARTNER OF THE YEAR Awarded to a company that provides outstanding customer service and innovation in supporting the export market with their delivery solutions. Success should be measured through their ability to support complex or innovative methods of distribution and delivery whilst adding value. Where possible nominees in this category should also be able to show how their business is focusing on support for new and emerging export markets.

HIGH GROWTH MARKET EXPORTER OF THE YEAR Awarded to a company demonstrating impressive export growth in high growth markets (including Brazil, China, Colombia, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, UAE, Vietnam and Hong Kong). This success will be measured by growth in sales and high growth market penetration, together with the application of innovative market strategies to extend export potential.

PD PORTS NORTHERN POWERHOUSE EXPORTER OF THE YEAR This award will be presented to a company that has made an outstanding contribution to the North's export profile and success. Companies must have demonstrated how they have overcome their barriers when entering new markets. The winner of this award will be selected from the winners of the above award categories and announced on the evening of the awards.

ENTER NOW AT WWW.BQLIVE.CO.UK/ NORTHEXPORT AWARDS17

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Barbara battles back

ENTREPRENEUR bqlive.co.uk

It’s a phrase she’s never had to use in her professional career, but when Barbara Daley was cutting and styling the hair of friends and family as a young teenager in Cantril Farm, Liverpool, it was one she reverted to quite often. “It will be alright when you’ve slept on it,” she laughs. “I would cut their hair – without training, I was only about 15 – and then blow it, really big. And that was the boys! “The girls loved it...” And so began the career of one of the city’s top stylists: one which has involved numerous awards, creating the locks and looks of top models and, now, standing at the helm of a million-pound-plus salon in city centre Lime Street. Of course, like all good success stories it’s had its fair share of drama – not least when a brain haemorrhage left Barbara in a coma, threatening to end her life as well as her career. But the resilience and determination which saw a Kirkby-born kid rise to a respected salon owner got her through that too: “I wanted to get back to the salon, get back to what I loved and I read a lot of self-help books by people like Tony Robbins. One phrase stuck in my mind – ‘this time will pass’. And it did…” Barbara Daley had always wanted to be a hairdresser: “From the age of 13 I would go with friends when they were having their hair cut and sit in the waiting area and pick up tips.

“I passed the 11-plus to go to Notre Dame High School but my mum and dad couldn’t afford the uniform and they were worried about me getting the bus to Walton. I dare say if I’d really wanted to go they’d have found the money, but I wanted to be a hairdresser. Trust me, if you’d needed a Masters to be one, I’d have got one.” You didn’t and so, after O’levels, Barbara, who’d already secured a Saturday job in Ahead of Hair in Bold Street, began sending letter after letter, traipsing mile after mile, hair and make-up just so, asking for work in salons. “It was always a no.” Her luck was to change when she walked into Binns department store in Church Street: “A girl had just walked out of their salon - and I got the job. You have to put yourself out there but I was in the right place at the right time. And that was it. I trained with them and went on day release to Colquitt Street College.” Barbara’s passion was realised, and a love affair began - one requited by the American company for which she worked and who promoted her from junior to senior stylist, manager, then regional trainer. Only when the salon was taken over and Barbara was tipped the wink that the

new owners had their own trainers did she decide to leave and open her own business. “I never had ambitions to own my own salon, I just loved the job, talking to different people, being creative. I loved hair and styling it, to me, is art - just a different medium. Anyone can cut hair, but I can see the difference between a fab cut and an okay cut. It’s the difference between a Gucci dress and one from H&M. And that’s how we train people. Some big companies or colleges teach a set number of cuts but we teach people bespoke hairdressing because one size doesn’t fit all. That’s too structured. If your hairline isn’t normal or average, it doesn’t work.” Barbara was almost 30 – “I celebrated my milestone birthday with a pizza” – when she began her own salon in Allerton, restricted from opening in the city centre for 12 months after working in a salon there. She had already been married to Paul, who then worked for BT, for 11 years and they had two young children, Andrea, seven, and Sarah who was about four or five: “We put everything into the business, even selling our car, and it did well from the outset because we set out to make

“A girl had just walked out of their salon - and I got the job. You have to put yourself out there but I was in the right place at the right time”

ENTREPRENEUR bqlive.co.uk

everything the best it could be. “We opened the city centre salon, Barbara Daley Hair and Beauty, close to where we currently are, exactly a year later. There had never been another woman who had owned a city centre salon and I was told it took guts to put your name to it, but I did and I took it seriously. “Paul was offered redundancy and took it to look after the business side while I concentrated on the creative, building a reputation by saying ‘no’. Nothing is more important to me than good, well-conditioned hair and if someone came, or comes in, wanting something that isn’t good for their hair I won’t do it. Integrity is more important to me. “If someone doesn’t come back, I ask why. Because of that, most do - I have one client still whose hair I used to wash at Binns!” Taking part in style and colour competitions to encourage staff and show what the salon can do led to a host of awards - last year alone including Best Salon in the North, Hair Awards; Most Wanted Local Salon Finalist and L’Oreal Colour Trophy Regional Finalist - and an increasing reputation. There were problems in 2008 when a compulsory purchase order forced Barbara to relocate and she took over 300 sq ft of the Great Western Hotel, empty since the ‘70s. It cost £1m – and many sleepless nights – to take on a 30-year lease and refurbish the shell. But the drama of that was nothing compared with the nightmare in February 2001 when a 40-year-old Barbara had a stroke, brought on by a brain haemorrhage. “I was fit and healthy, I’d been in London the previous day doing hair for London Fashion Week models,” says Barbara. “Everything was fine, but then I went to bed feeling unwell. I went to tell Paul I felt really strange, but it was nonsense coming out of my mouth. “I woke up in intensive care a week later wondering where I was and why I couldn’t move my arms or speak. I’d never known anyone who’d had a stroke so I accepted it thinking that if they said 12 months, I’d be back at work in three. I had no concept of what lay ahead. “I spent nine months in rehabilitation having speech and physiotherapy every day. It was so hard learning to walk again but I never thought of giving up. Too many things and people depend on you. Friends, family, 25 staff who rely on you to live!

“That’s still hard, although I CAN cut, I just can’t hold scissors, I use my mind and someone else’s hands. I can direct a senior stylist and they love doing that. People still ask for me to cut their hair”

“My memory was unaffected but my speech was and it was three years before I could contribute to a conversation which was hard for me. I used to pray to God that if he couldn’t give me everything back, could he please give me my speech. Now I can talk albeit slowly and with concentration – some people who come into the salon think I’m a Scandanavian for whom English isn’t my first language, but Italian and French people can sometimes understand me better than they can a Scouse accent. “My right arm is affected and I walk with a limp but … yes, the killer is that I can no longer cut hair. That’s still hard, although I CAN cut, I just can’t hold scissors, I use my mind and someone else’s hands. I can direct a senior stylist and they love doing that. People still ask for me to cut their hair. “I’m still a confident woman. If you’d asked me before if I would be with a disability I’d have said no. Plus I understand people more because I listen – that’s all I could do for three years.” Barbara closed the Allerton salon three years ago to focus on her North Western Halls hair

HQ. Daughter Andrea has become increasingly involved after training with Vidal Sassoon and is taking on the creative mantle of her mum, recently creating hair for a shoot with Alexander McQueen under the direction of the late fashion icon’s nephew who now runs the brand. Even daughter Sarah helps the business when she isn’t in New York pursuing production dreams. Business appears better than ever – just don’t ask Barbara about turnover because she deliberately hasn’t a clue: “If you ask me if we are doing well, I don’t need to look in the till. I will know if the salon is busy and the work is going out. “Profit is only ever a part. Seeing staff we train go off and open up their own salons, blossoming in their careers because of what they have learned here, that makes me proud. That’s how I measure success. It’s about overcoming obstacles, whether it’s opening your own salon or getting your life back after a stroke. “It’s about having the resilience to carry on through, whatever …” n

ENTREPRENEUR bqlive.co.uk

INTERVIEW bqlive.co.uk

Smarties, breakfast DJs and sandalwood Innside is a hotel where standards are so high it even has to smell right. Maria McGeoghan talks to manager Adam Munday

As the manager of one of Manchester’s newest and trendiest hotels, Adam Munday is a perfectionist. During a tour of the 208 room Innside in the city’s First Street development, he directs a plant expert to help some fading specimens, takes a picture on his phone of a slightly trailing TV wire for the engineer - “that looks untidy” - and picks a tiny speck of dust from a crisp white pillow while still telling me about the hotel. Opening last year Innside, owned by high end Spanish hotel group Melia, has already attracted its fair share of celebs including Beyonce, Danny Boyle, Robbie Coltrane, Michelle Keegan and the whole Tory cabinet, who held a cocktail party there during their last conference. Father of two Adam has been in the hotel business since he was 16 when an injury cut

short a promising football career. “I still think about that most days,” he says, looking slightly wistful. “But I’m passionate about hotels. “Melia are a global brand and such a good company to work for. I love being here in Manchester.” Innside is the only one of its kind in the UK - and from the off they set out to do things a little differently. For a start it’s very, very smart, even though the staff are relaxed in jeans and trainers. A vast marble lobby and reception area leads on to a restaurant and bar with great views of the First Street Square and HOME - Manchester’s new centre for international contemporary art, theatre and film. Sophisticated lighting transforms the

atmosphere from day to night making it feel very different. “We concentrate a lot on lighting,” says Adam. “I love seeing guests’ faces when they come back to us after a day out and see the way we look in the evening. It feels like a different place.” The bedrooms are cool and contemporary with some completely open plan so there is no divide between the bedroom and bathroom. Larger suites, which include a lounge, are proving particularly popular with weekend visitors. “I could sell them over and over again,” says Adam. There is a floor of conference space and a brightly coloured creative room that can be rented out to anyone from business start-ups holding brainstorming sessions to companies

INTERVIEW bqlive.co.uk

“I love seeing guests’ faces when they come back to us after a day out and see the way we look in the evening. It feels like a different place”

INTERVIEW bqlive.co.uk

“We work hard on getting the fragrance right. Every hotel is different and our fragrance is based on sandalwood” holding team-building events. “This works really well for us and it’s unusual to find a space like this in a hotel,” says Adam. And the whole place smells lovely. “We work hard on getting the fragrance right. Every hotel is different and our fragrance is based on sandalwood.” There’s even a DJ at breakfast and guests can tweet him on their way down to get a request played while they tuck in. “Some people like it, others might not but it’s getting us talked about. Let’s face it - hotel breakfasts are usually boring. “And little surprises like ordering a coffee that comes with your own little pile of Smarties just make you smile. Unusual for a city centre hotel, the lunchtime buffet of 15 different salads is mainly aimed at city office workers looking for something to take back to their desks. “We do a lot of lunchtime business,” says Adam. “It’s a great way of getting people to know the hotel.” So what’s the secret of running a good hotel? After extensive research Adam has got it down to five key things that need to be right. 1. Pay what you expect to pay with no hidden extras or surprises. 2. Wifi is “super important” and should be fast, easy to connect to and free. 3. The quality of sleep should be good. “All Mary and Joseph wanted was to sleep.” 4. Great showers with good water pressure. 5. Great coffee. “We use illy which is expensive but very, very good.“ And Innside believes in ‘bleasure’ blurring the lines between business and pleasure. “We love giving our guests an umbrella and a map and saying ‘go out and see the city,’” says Adam. “If someone wants to find a really good independent coffee shop or restaurant we’ve got no problem directing them to a great one rather than staying in the hotel.“ With 65 staff and a further 25 roles outsourced, plans are also in place to train the cleaning team in English so they can chat to the guests and enhance their experience. Business is ‘good’ and plans are now in place to open an Innside in Birmingham and

Glasgow. Adam’s career has spanned everything from playing football with kids every summer when he was a holiday rep to working at the Holiday Inn in Runcorn which boasts the biggest banqueting suite outside London. So he knows a good hotel when he sees one. And the best? He names two. The Four Seasons at Canary Wharf and the Gran Melia in Tenerife, where staff offer to polish your sunglasses when you’re sunbathing. Did he take them up on their offer? “Of course I did,” he says with a grin. “Now that’s what I call great service.” But Manchester excites him. “It”s a city that continues to reinvent itself,” says Adam. “There are 27 hotels in the pipeline in the next

three years and occupancy in the city stands at around 80%.“ He acknowledges that Brexit is a concern for all hoteliers and his mainly Spanish staff were shocked by the referendum result with some thinking that they would have to go home immediately. “It was a tough day,“ says Adam. “One of my toughest in this business. I got them all together and told them that their jobs were safe.” He is now seeing a peak in visitors from Europe who think they have to visit the UK before the borders go up. “I live and breathe hotels,” says Adam. “I’ve got a passion for creating a great guest experience. My mission is to get even more people inside Innside.” n

BIT OF A CHAT Martha Hey examining the news behind the headlines of Magners, her description of her new kitchen nightmare made me laugh out loud. “Bloody Ikea kitchen,” she said. “Why don’t they just call it a Divorce in a Box….”

“The phrase ‘never again’ has never been so appropriate after weeks of brick dust, washing your pots in the bathroom and trying every microwave meal known to man and realising they all taste the same. It’s horrible” Pedal power Treemendous! So you’ve got a fairly large tree stump in your garden that can be seen by everyone passing by. Do you? a) Chop it down. b) Get someone else to chop in down. c) Build the fence bigger to cover it up? d) Have it carved in to the shape of one of the imposing Easter Island statues? Yes, it’s D and one of the most delightfully surprising things I’ve ever seen while taking a short cut through a Salford suburb. It’s grand. It’s a bit spooky. It stands guard half way down a rather posh and leafy road. And it makes me smile. I’ve even been tempted to go and knock on the door and congratulate whoever had the glorious idea of transforming a tree into a work of art. Good on you!

House of horror Hands up everyone who thought having a new kitchen installed would involve a bit of upheaval but it would only take a few weeks and it would be worth it in the end? Aha! You fell for it too. The phrase ‘never again’ has never been so appropriate after weeks of brick dust, washing your pots in the bathroom and trying every microwave meal known to man and realising they all taste the same. It’s horrible. The full new kitchen horror had just dawned on a friend I met in the pub last week. Exhausted, almost with her head in her hands and clutching a pint

If you thought the run up to Christmas was tough with all that present shopping, food ordering and working out whose turn it is to host the in-laws, spare a thought for plucky Team Warren Partners. Joëlle Warren, Vicky Lawton, Julia Fearn, and Nikki Kenyon from the Cheshire-based executive search firm are spending weeks away from home taking part in the Women V Cancer cycling challenge in Vietnam to raise funds for Breast Cancer Care, Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust and Ovarian Cancer Action. The gruelling ride, a team challenge event organised by Action for Charity, follows a 450km route, starting in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City and finishing in Cambodia. Team Warren Partners will be joining groups of women of all ages and from all walks of life to challenge themselves on a very tough and largely off-road route crossing hilly, dusty terrain. They are funding their own travel costs to ensure that 100% of the funds raised go directly to Women V Cancer. So far, they have raised over £12,000 for this great cause. “At Warren Partners we strive to be generous of spirit and time and to give more than is expected at all times. We thought that this ride would be a great opportunity to give back to a really worthwhile cause and has been great for team-building, not just for the four of us doing the ride but from the whole team who have got behind the fundraising and training,” said Joelle Warren, founding director. I take my hat off to you ladies. Safe travels. www.justgiving.com/fundraising/WarrenPartners

Va va vroom I’ve never been that interested in cars. As long as they start in the morning and have a decent radio I’m happy. Mr Hey (who LOVES cars) once accused me of treating mine like a skip when he found a bag of green and dusty month old Satsumas under the passenger seat. I wondered what had happened to them. So when I spied a small crowd gathered around one of the flashy sort of ones outside a Manchester hotel I was mildly curious. I thought it looked low and hard to park. And I’d never choose white. An admirer said it was a Lamborghini Aventador in hushed and reverential tones. People walked round it positively drooling. When I got home I googled said car and nearly choked on a Tunnocks Teacake when I saw the price. Just £260,000 of your English pounds if you please… It’s worth more than my house! P.S. Rumour has it that the Aventador belongs to a football manager who isn’t very happy at the moment. I wonder who that could be…?

“People walked round it positively drooling. When I got home I googled said car and nearly choked on a Tunnocks Teacake when I saw the price”

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EVENTS

BQ’s business diary helps you forward plan

DECEMBER 08

Looking to grow your business by referrals? Eager to make new contacts and sales opportunities in Manchester? Come and visit a professional referrals organisation in the City Centre meeting at a sensible mid-morning time. 10am-12.30pm Artisan, 18-22 Bridge Street, Manchester, M3 3BZ Contact Ben Gardner, 07976397365

Are you working with the Growth Hub in Cheshire and Warrington? This event is an informative networking opportunity for businesses to find out more about business support across Cheshire and Warrington. As the first-stop-shop for business support, Cheshire and Warrington Growth Hub help navigate business support across the area. 4pm – 6pm GM Mercure Chester Abbots Well Hotel, Whitchurch Road, Christleton, Great Boughton CH3 5QL. www.eventbrite.co.uk

IOD Manchester. Investing in culture - a driver of success or a waste of time? Palace Hotel, 8am to 10am. Manchester. A business with a clear, deliberate culture can build significant competitive advantage, a distinctive brand, increase staff engagement, customer retention and foster stronger relationships with other stakeholders such as suppliers and funders. Contact richard.douglas@iod.com

Meschi Consultants - Manchester City Centre 4Networking Lunch. Friday 9 December 2016, 12noon - 2pm. Contact James Chisholm - 4N Area Leader for Manchester City Centre, 07443 484 958. Revolution (Deansgate Locks), Deansgate Locks, Whitworth Street West, Manchester, M1 5L

The HMRC R&D Tax Credit scheme is a government initiative to encourage investment in innovation. The SME scheme provides Corporation Tax relief of 230% on eligible expenditure. Tax Credits are also available to larger companies at a lower rate of relief. The scheme is open to businesses in all sectors. However, thousands of eligible businesses are not yet claiming the relief they are entitled to. 7:30AM - 9AM, Elliot House, 151 Deansgate, Manchester, M3 3WD, Manchester City Centre Contact: isabel.thurston@gmchamber.co.uk 0161 393 4341

Business over Breakfast. This successful business networking club in Ramsbottom meets every two weeks on a Wednesday. BoB Networking concentrates on quality referrals rather than quantity at their meetings. 7am Contact: Tracy Heatley, 07812 076 946 The Lounge Restaurant, 2-4 Prince Street , Ramsbottom , BL0 9FN

The Quay Business Forum is a free, breakfast event for entrepreneurs and business people, come along to network and benefit from regular topical business presentations and take part in forum discussions; sharing and gaining vital information to help you grow and develop your business. 8am – 10am 47-48 Hamilton Square, Birkenhead, CH41 5AR www.eventbrite.co.uk

Five student teams at a local academy are developing business ideas, with support to develop their resilience and confidence. They will showcase their ideas at this Action 4 Business event and pitch for connections, support and inspiration. 7:30am - 9:30am, A J Bell Stadium, 1 Stadium Way, Barton Upon Irwell, M30 7EY, Salford contact: events@gmchamber.co.uk

Business over Breakfast (BoB) Clubs - Bolton. 7am Contact: Tracy Heatley, 07812 076 946. Holiday Inn Hotel, 1 Higher Bridge Street , Bolton , BL1 2EW

JANUARY 17

Export documentation training. Export documents offer the opportunity for exporters to be more efficient, understand the export process better and the requirements for shipment information. Documents are there to help the exporter get goods into the destination market efficiently. They can also offer commercial advantages to the exporter and their overseas partners, resulting in potential increased sales revenue. Greater Manchester Chamber, Elliot House, 151 Deansgate M3 3WD, Manchester, Manchester City Centre 9:30am - 4:30pm Contact: exportbritain@gmchamber.co.uk T: 0161 393 4368 The diary is updated daily online at

BQ’s business events diary gives you lots of time to forward plan. To add your event online, email details to eventsdiary@bqlive.co.uk

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